Total Pokemon Alphabetical
by xebla
Summary: Join Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, the squabbling siblings on their first ever season of Total Pokémon! Twenty six alphabetical adults from all over the world come together to battle in alphabet theme challenges for one million dollars! There are sense of adventure, drama, and love in the air! Hidden idols to be found! This story is co-written with Fuzzboy!
1. Alphabet Assembles!

_**Xebla :**_ After being inactive for over two years, TPA is back! Several things have changed! For starters, I have a new author helping me out now! This should make writing this story as hell of a lot easier.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Sup...I'm here now. I'm gonna help this dude write...Fear me.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Well, this cast is even crazier than the previous version, so the readers should be. It'll be fun to see how this story will turn out!

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Yes...It shall be quite an amusing experience.

 **(Disclaimer) :** We do not own any of the Pokemon except their original personalities. Nor any content from Total Drama. Also, the alphabet theme is not OUR idea! It's originally created by Frank15, so give him credits for that.

* * *

 **Episode 1 - Alphabet Assembles!**

* * *

 **DAY 1 - Introduction Day**

The camera turned on for the first time on this show. It showed the entire island, a place filled with wondrous sights to behold. It zoomed down towards the dock, where the show's hosts floated by. The first of which was a small, greyish blue being, with a cone-shaped head with odd elf-like ears.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the viewing world!" The willpower Pokemon said, as he floated in front of the camera, grinning. "We are live on an island called Wawanakwa! I'm your awesome host, Azelf!"

"One of _three_ hosts, Azelf," A being of similar appearance floated beside him, a plain yellow, helmet shaped head replacing the cone shape of the other. He gave the camera an unimpressed look, but regardless faked his best smile, "Greeting, my name is Uxie."

"And I'm Mesprit!" The pink, emotion Pokemon popped up between both Pokemon, wrapping her arms around their shoulders. The greyish-blue body was there like the others, but her head-shape was similar more so to dreadlocks then anything compared to them, "And this, is Total Pokemon Alphabetical!"

Uxie removed himself from his over emotional sister, giving her a scowl, before looking towards the camera, "This game is rather simple really. Twenty six Pokemon from all over the world shall come here to engage in a battle of sorts, for a chance to claim a monetary prize of one million dollars."

"In fact, each of their names begins with different letter, hence, the name of this show!" Azelf said, as Uxie rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that is totally a fact that the audience couldn't have figured out for themselves." Azelf glared at his annoying brother in response, prepared to most likely counter this with some half-baked answer.

"Guys, come on!" Mesprit folded her arms, frowning. "We can't be arguing on our first day! We have to make a good first impression!"

Azelf grumbled, as he folded his arms too, "We argue everyday because of him." He nodded his head at his yellow-headed host.

Uxie growled under his breath, "If you want to tell me something, just do it."

Azelf opened his mouth to make an insulting comment, when he saw something large approaching towards the dock. Upon realizing this, he cut himself short and allowed a smile to return to his face. "Hey, our first player is here! About time that we finally got to the action."

As he said this, he didn't notice that Uxie's scowl did not disappear, but wisely, he chose to turn away and not press on the issue. He'd most likely find a way to get back at him later anyways.

Getting closer, the approaching transportation turned out to be a Wailord, but it's not the Pokemon the hosts were interested in. It was the Pokemon on top of Wailord.

She was green condor of below average height, her large tipped wings covering the front of her body like some kind of armor. Her eyes were piercingly emotionless, showing no emotion, or even much of a real soul behind them. She was standing still on the whale's back, never taking her eyes off the hosts. When the Wailord halted by the dock, she grabbed her bags with her talons, and hovered onto the dock.

"Mysterious Xatu!" Mesprit gave her a grin. "Welcome to Wawanakwa Island!"

Still showing no emotion, but Xatu gave her a nod. "Greeting, everyone."

"Even after watching your audition tape multiple times, you still scare the absolute shit out of me!" Azelf showed a nervous smile.

Uxie gave his brother a look, "Please, try to avoid swearing. I'll have to censor it if you do."

The Willpower Pokemon rolled his eyes, "I thought this show has a teen rating. Therefore, swearing is fucking fine!"

Uxie growled at him, "You moron, you can't say... _That_ , on public television!"

"Guys!" Mesprit shouted. "Knock it off, please!" She looked back at Xatu with an apologizing expression. "You'll have to forgive my brothers. This sadly is not uncommon for them."

Xatu nodded. "I'm aware. But I should warn you, if you keep heading down that path, you won't be able to overcome the obstacles that will soon stand in your way."

Before any of the hosts could ask what she meant by that, Xatu picked up her bags and flew over to the other end of the dock. They exchanged wary looks, except Uxie, who looked more mildly annoyed than anything. They all jumped in shock though, hearing someone's whooping.

They looked out to the ocean, trying to figure out whether it was Wailord calling out to them. They heard it again, realizing it was actually coming from above. They looked up, seeing a dark green dragonfly flying doing a loop-de-loop, it's wings greatly complementing the wind's strength, as he flung himself through the tricks with seemingly little to no effort.

He suddenly dived towards the dock. The hosts never took their eyes off of him, wondering if he's going to crash through the dock. It didn't happen as the dragonfly pulled up at the last possible moment. The hosts had to float back in order to avoid the dragonfly crashing into them though. He laughed.

"If that's not an introduction, I don't know what is!" The Dragonfly grinning to himself.

"Yanmega, do you fly around like that all the time?" Uxie gave him a usual annoyed look.

Yanmega raised a brow at the serious host. "You haven't seen my audition tape?"

"That's because his eyes are always shut!" Azelf jabbed a thumb at Uxie, who frowned even deeper.

Uxie smirked though, "Coming from the guy who gotten his head stuck in so many doors because of his massive ego, that we actually had to call someone to yank you out."

Mesprit spoke up before her brothers could argue for more. She gave Yanmega a grin. "That was some amazing flying, Yanmega!"

"Flying is my life! And I'll keep flying high until I die!" He twirled his body to gesture his love of flying.

"Unless you send yourself to the sun," Uxie said.

Yanmega gave him a look, "Like I said, until I die. At that point I die, thus I died while flying."

Azelf snickered, before poking Uxie's cheek, "You got burned."

Uxie looked like he was just about ready to strangle his brother, as Mesprit had to hold her hand over her mouth to stop herself from snickering, as she quickly said, "Would you please head over to the other end of the dock?"

Yanmega nodded, "Sure can!" He flew over to Xatu and gave her a smile, "Sup, I'm Yanmega."

"My name is Xatu. I know your motivation for entering the show is to earn money for you and your fiance's wedding."

Yanmega looked baffled, "Whoa, how did you know?"

Xatu continued to stare towards the sun, "I'm a fortune teller. I can predict what happened in the past, what happens in the present, and what will happen in the future."

"Is my future turning out good?" He asked, curious of what answer he'll receive. His smile disappeared, watching Xatu only stare at him before staring back at the sun.

"Speaking of predicting, I predict our next competitor is none other than Furret!" Azelf said, smiling at the next Wailord. When it arrived at the dock, the hosts can see a beige and brown striped ferret Pokemon, writing something on her notepad.

Azelf's eyes widened. "I was right?"

"That's a first," Uxie smirked.

Azelf pointed a finger at him, "Shut your dumb mouth."

"Great comeback, truly."

"Furret?" Mesprit called out to her, realizing she hadn't responded since she's arrived.

Furret snapped out of her thought, and looked at the hosts. She quickly, put her notepad into her mouth, grabbed her bags and jumped onto the dock. She put the bags down and removed her notepad from her mouth. She showed a small smile. "Hello."

"Not much of a talker, huh?" Azelf said, seeing Furret seemed to be more interested in her notepad than the hosts.

She looked back at them and shook her head. "Sorry. My mind's still out of place." She chuckled. "That's what you'd get for jotting down ideas for stories."

Uxie raised a brow, "Wait, stories?"

"Yeah, I write stories for FanFiction," Furret said, looking pleased to be talking about stuff she liked.

Azelf and Uxie quickly broke away from their fight, as Uxie gave her a disgusted look, "So you're one of those people who write those trashy stories about us?"

She raised a brow at them, "Why would I do that? I never heard of you guys."

Azelf let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god! I don't want to find any gross smut of me with these two. I'm clearly too good for that kind of shit."

Uxie shushed him, "Remember, language."

Furret's eyes widened. "Oh! You mean _those_ stories? Yeah, those kinds of stories bore me."

Mesprit raised a brow at her. "Bore?"

"Should I go over there now?" Furret pointed at the other competitors.

Uxie gestured to them. "Of course. Just avoid the bird. She's muttering useless gibberish."

Quickly putting her notepad in her mouth once more, Furret picked up her bags and walked over to the other contestants.

"Hey, I'm Yanmega," He held out his leg towards the ferret Pokemon.

Furret stared at him, warily. She quickly shook his leg and then wiped her hand on her fur, believing it would remove any germ that may have touched her. She regained her focus on her notepad. Yanmega raised a brow at her strange behaviour.

Uxie eyed the ferret Pokemon, "Quite strange," he turned to stare back at the ocean, "Hopefully our fourth contestant is a bit more normal."

Smokes appeared from top of the approaching Wailord. A brownish-red monkey, with a never ending flame on his head, was lying on his back, puffing on his cigar in his mouth. He continued to stare at the clouds until he felt Wailord had stopped moving. Groaning, he sat up and stretched, feeling the bones in his spines cracking. He stepped off the large Pokemon and walked over to the hosts.

"Dude, you're pushing into your 70s!" Azelf floated backward from smokes, "Is it necessary to smoke?"

"Fire Pokemon hardly give a shit about smoking," Infernape said, removing his cigar from his mouth as he exhaled smokes towards the psychic hosts, who used their telekinesis to throw away the smoke.

Uxie glared at the monkey, "We don't mind you smoke, just try not to use it much around us, okay?"

"Fine by me, but this is one of the reasons I ain't driving myself mad." Infernape put his cigar back into his mouth, picked up his luggage, and walked over to the other contestants.

Tobacco smoke reached them, but only Furret seemed to be affected. She walked over to the edge of the dock.

"Do you really need it that bad?" Yanmega asked him.

"War can affect you hard," Infernape said, smoke exhaled from his nostrils.

Yanmega smiled, "You were in military? Me too."

Infernape chuckled, "Nice to see a fellow comrade in this show."

While the men started chatting about their experiences in military, the host stared out at the ocean once more.

Mesprit smiled to herself, "It'll be interesting to see how he'll fare against younger players."

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Please, he won't last long."

"Maybe because of our fifth player, Espeon?" Azelf gestured to another Wailord halted by the dock. She was a thin and fairly attractive fox-like pokemon, with very pressed on light purple fur that made it look she didn't have any at all. Her eyes showed no emotion inside them, as she began to walk onto the dock.

"Hello, everyone, and may Arceus be with you all," She showed a smile.

"He is. All eighteen of them are breathing down our backs." Azelf groaned.

"Greeting, Espeon. We don't often have Christian in a reality show for lawsuit reasons." Uxie coughed, "So you're one of the first."

Espeon nodded, "Thank you. I shall do my best. I'm told by our Lord there are demons that need to be conquered. I'll do everything in my power to stop them."

"You didn't talk to our producers, did you?" Azelf asked, looking wary. "Because that would be totally cheating!"

Espeon shook her head. "It's nothing like that. I'm referring to our Lord above us."

"Again, that's what our producers do," Azelf said, looking annoyed.

Espeon became uncertain, "Perhaps I should head over to the others."

"That would be wise," Mesprit said, feeling wary of how the conversation was turning out.

Grabbing her luggage with her tail, Espeon walked over to the other contestants. She gave them a smile, "Hello, everyone. My name is Espeon, and I'm one of the many followers of our great Arceus."

"We should keep an eye on her," Azelf whispered to his siblings, "I don't trust her one bit."

"I think we can trust that guy better," Mesprit pointed at the Pokemon on top of the next Wailord.

The newest contestant looked like he was about to face off against the main antagonist of an action movie. As soon as his transportation had took him to his destination, he majestically jumped off and landed on the dock. The contestants cried out, feeling the dock trembled under the newest contestant's weight. Much to everyone's surprise, the dock remained intact. Everyone had a good look at the new player. The creature's face had been completely covered by the very large mask on his face, but even then, they could tell he was smirking at them.

"Ah, I have arrived," Bastiodon spoke like a narrator or an important character you would see in the movies with his deep voice, "Though there may be twenty five opponents in this competition, but no matter how much I'll struggle, no matter how bad the conflicts it shall be during my time here, I, Bastiodon, WILL succeed on Total Pokemon Alphabetical! And scene!"

He held his leg over his face, gesturing the end of the scene. He took a deep breath and then looked at everyone's reaction, expecting a thunderous applause for his brilliant performance. He frowned, seeing their confused expression on their faces. Except Xatu who was still staring at the sun.

"Eer, dude, what was that?" Azelf asked.

"It's called acting! I excelled at that in drama school," Bastiodon showed a manly smile,"I'm sure everyone here would all like an autograph for my recent performance, my movie appearances, and winning Total Pokemon Alphabetical as a star!"

"Okay, dude," Azelf said, "First of all, in order to win Total Pokemon Alphabetical, you have to actually have BEATEN all the other contestants. And second of all, if you've appeared in movies, how come I've never heard of you?"

Bastiodon's eyes widened and gasped, "Did you gets trapped in a cave for decades? I'm well-known in Unova. I starred in a lot Pokestar films!"

"Nope," Azelf shrugged.

Bastiodion growled and opened his mouth to argue for more, but Uxie beat him to it "Don't bother. You'll only end up in a never ending circle." He ignored the annoyed glances he received from both siblings.

The actor continued to glare at them before stomping over to the other competitors. He smirked at them. "Well, everyone, I'm sure my face has brightened up your day, hasn't it?"

Furret looked up at him and raised a brow. "Who are you?"

Bastiodon groaned over dramatically.

Uxie sighed and pinched his fingers between his eyes. "This is gonna be a _long_ season."

"Oh, lovely," a disembodied voice said.

The hosts turned around, noticing a different competitor standing before them. She was a thin and decently curvy bug, though based on her mostly leafy outer appearance, you'd be forgiven for thinking she was actually a grass type. She had her arms folded. A deep scowl appeared on her face. She looked purely comedical due to her species.

"Leavanny?" Uxie asked. "How long have you've been standing here?"

"Long enough for the 'actor' to start complaining how nobody heard of him."

"Are you okay?" Mesprit asked, feeling off put by her scowling.

"If by okay, you mean having a bunch of ungrateful students filmed you, and then post them to the producers, and then gets dragged _all_ the way here? Then yes, I'm _thrilled_."

Azelf rubbed his chin, "Why do I sense some sarcasm?"

Uxie instantly facepalmed, "You are such a moron."

"I don't suppose I can quit right now, can I?" Leavanny asked, still scowling but filled with pleading.

"Unfortunately, you can't," Mesprit gave her an apologizing look, "You're just gonna have to make the best of it."

Leavanny let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine." She walked over to the others and stood by the edge of the dock, not in any mood of talking to anyone.

" _I think we've finally found you a friend,"_ Azelf whispered to Uxie, grinning.

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Please, she's a bit too much of a jerk for my taste."

"I don't know, she sounds exactly like your type!"

Uxie glared at him, "You mean like how that Caterpie was your type?"

Azelf glared at him, "Those were bullshit charges and you know it you prick! She was twenty three anyways."

Uxie gave him a deadpan look, "You still spent quite the night with a worm. That's pretty pathetic."

"ANYWAYS!" Mesprit shouted, wanting to move the conversation away. "Here's come contestant number eight; Zebstrika!"

The Wailord halted by the dock, allowing for the next contestant to jump off. The contestant was a rather large horse, with a black and white striped pattern across his entire body, as he gave the camera a confident smirk.

"Zebstrika," Uxie nodded. "Welcome."

"Sup, man," the Zebra said confidently, as he began to strut towards the other contestants, "Hey everyone, I look forward to a fair competition. But don't none of you hold back! Don't want this game to be filled with a bunch of pathetic pansies after all. Let's make this the manliest game of the century!"

Espeon, Leavanny, and Mesprit all turned to look at him. Xatu's still staring at the sun, while Furret was writing down on her notepad as usual.

"Excuse me?" Espeon asked. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Zebstrika rose a brow, "What does what mean? I just said let's make this a tough game to win."

"You said pathetic pansies," Leavanny walked over to Espeon, narrowing her eyes at the zebra Pokemon. "That's implied us women as inferiors."

His face weakened, "N-No! I didn't mean that at all!"

"Even so, I'm quite offended now," Espeon said, glaring at him, "You won't be expecting a friend from me right now."

Zebstrika nodded, "I can understand that. My bad."

Espeon's eyes softened a bit, surprised by his sudden apology. Leavanny still scowled.

"Smooth move, Casanova," Infernape said, rolling his eyes.

Zebstrika rolled his eyes as he walked closer to the others, "Please, I doubt you haven't said bad things on accident before."

Infernape frowned deeper, but continue to smoke in silence.

"I'm calling it, he's gone within the first five eliminations," Uxie said.

Mesprit quickly said, "I'd certainly prefer it that way."

"I wonder if you'll feel the same about-" Azelf couldn't finish his sentence, shocked that the next Wailord showed up sooner than scheduled. As soon as the next contestant stepped off, Wailord zoomed away, wanting to be away from her as far as possible.

"Purugly, our ninth contestant..." Azelf said, baffled by what just happened. The hosts stared at the new player before them. It was an overweight cat with long whiskers. They noticed her tail wrapped around her waist, making her slimmer.

She licked her paw before stroking her head. Activating her flirt mode, she strutted past them and made her way to the other contestants, showing off her seductive smile, "Hello, boys…" She purred, "I sure hope we can all get along. If so, perhaps I could give you all my _special_ reward."

All the boys took a step back, or float with Yanmega, Uxie, and Azelf's case.

"No thanks. I'm married," Infernape said.

"I'm engaged!" Yanmega said.

"I'm not available!" Zebstrika said.

"I'm currently single, but I'd prefer slightly hotter women than you," Bastiodon said, looking at the ocean, avoiding eye contact.

Bastiodon's comment made Purugly's face fell fast. She glared at him, "Fine. But you've just lost your chance at _this_." She wiggled her hips. She walked away from the boys, her nose stick up in the air. Her annoyance was what made her unaware of Espeon's glare behind her.

"Well, there's goes my appetite for lunch," Uxie said, grimaced.

Azelf shuddered, "I need to take my mind on something else! _Anything else!_ "

"Well, here's come a distraction in a form of camper number ten, Vanilluxe!" Mesprit pointed at another approaching Wailord.

Once the whale Pokemon had arrived at the dock, he looked happier than any other Wailord so far. The newest Pokemon stepped off and the two exchanged farewells. The Wailord left, squirting water out of his head in happiness.

He turned around and gave the hosts two large grins. It was a two-headed ice-cream Pokemon with a cone sticking out of one of their heads, "Hello! My name is Vanilluxe!" Both heads spoke at the same time, "It's absolutely wonderful to meet you all. Thank you very much for selecting me for this show. I'll make the most of it."

"You're welcome." Mesprit returned a grin, "And can you please moves over to the other contestants?"

"Of course!" He brought out an ice-cream cone and then use the snow cloud he puffed out to create a white coated ice-cream. He gave it Mesprit, "Consider this a thank you gift from me."

"Aw, thank you." Mesprit said before licking her ice-cream.

The other contestants watched him created more ice-creams for Azelf and Uxie, who took it reluctantly. Espeon smiled.

"It's good to know there's a pure hearted person amongst our cast."

"I'm calling it, he's a pedophile," Purugly said.

The contestants snapped their heads at her, baffled by her comment.

"What?!" Yanmega said, eyes widened, "Where the hell did you get that from?"

"I've seen people like him who pretended to be so nice. Get him in a room alone with you though, and you'll regret the day you became friends with him."

"Geez," Zebstrika said, "Paranoid, much?"

"I'd highly doubt he's that kind of person, Purugly," Espeon said, narrowing her eyes at the cat.

Purugly looked at her, "I'm speaking from experiences," She said.

As she finished her sentence, Vanilluxe floated over to them, still showing off his two large grins.

"Hello everyone! My name is Vanilluxe! I looks forward to competing with you all! I hope we'll be good friends by the game!"

Espeon stepped forward, returning a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Vanilluxe." She gave a sideway glare to Purugly, who rolled her eyes.

The others were either smiling, or became wary thanks to Purugly's comment. The hosts were still enjoying their ice-creams.

"Mmm…" Azelf said, smiling. "These ice-creams are really good!"

Uxie stopped licking his ice-cream, before he began to stare at it, "I'd find it rather odd it appeared from his body."

Mesprit gave him a frown, "Must you'd be so pessimistic about everything?"

"I'm a realist," Uxie said. "I'm supposed to pessimistic."

The next Wailord had arrived at the dock, dropping off a new player and then left. The player in question was a rather odd looking red octopus, whose eyes always seemed to be permanently dropped midway in some kind of tired look.

For a moment, her eyes refused to remove themselves from the tabloid magazine in front of them. When she did eventually look away however, she looked around her surroundings, all while maintaining her tired expression, "This is the place? Looks totally crappy to me."

Uxie frowned at her, "Octillery, our production crew has worked very hard to construct this location. If you want to win, you'll have to deal with it."

Octillery rolled her eyes, "Party pooper, much? Whatever." She squirmed past the hosts, ignoring the glares she received from Uxie. She showed a small smile to the other competitors, "Sup, guys, I'm Octillery."

Vanilluxe floated forward, "Hello, my name is Vanilluxe! It's lovely to meet you!"

Weirded out by two heads talking to her at the same time, Octillery moved back a bit, "I know twins are, like, totally close and everything, but do you really talk at the same time ALL the time?"

"Ever since I evolved!" He said, still smiling.

Octillery stared at him for a moment before looking back into her magazine, as if the conversation never happened, "Alright then."

" _I heard rumors that it was her parents that brought her into this show,"_ Azelf whispered to his siblings. _"Is it true?"_

"Unfortunately, yes," Uxie said, scowling at the oblivious octopus.

"Maybe the experiences here will help her become more active?" Mesprit said.

Uxie scoffed, "If she's lasts that long."

Another Wailord had arrived. The player was a decently large chandelier, with flames currently burning on each candle. He floated off his transportation and faced the hosts, before giving them a nod.

"Greeting, hosts," he said, "I'd like to thank you for selecting me to participate in your show."

Uxie returned a nod, showing a small smile, "You're welcome, Chandelure. It's nice to see a fellow gentleman."

Azelf let out a snicker under his breath, "Heh, gentleman."

Uxie gave him a sideway glare and then gestured Chandelure to the other end of the dock, "Please make your way over there."

"Of course," Chandelure said. Carrying his luggage with telekinesis, he floated over to the other contestants. After making short greetings with them, there was one person who caught his eyes. He floated over to Furret, curious of her scribbling down her notepad.

"What are you writing?"

Furret snapped out of her thought and looked up. She showed her notepad to him, "I'm writing down contents for my stories. I brought it with me because I'm hoping that my time on this show will give me inspiration to write a novel."

Chandelure showed a smile, "A novel, huh?" He chuckled, "I'm a writer myself. Perhaps I could provide you a tip or two to help you improve."

Furret showed the biggest smile since she's arrived. She stood up, "Really? That would be amazing! I'm Furret!"

"I'm Chandelure," he said.

Mesprit smiled at their interaction, "Aw, it's nice to see people become friends already!"

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Please, give it a week. Either one of them will have backstabbed the other or some big dramatic confession will make them drift apart. It's only a matter of time."

"You really need a girlfriend," Azelf said. "Or it is a boyfriend?"

Uxie shrugged, "Don't care. Either way, not interested."

Mesprit folded her arms, "I believe love and friendships can triumph on this show. Maybe this next contestant could prove that?"

The next Wailord had arrived, albeit looking annoyed. He left as soon as the contestant stepped off of him. She turned around, facing the hosts and the other contestants, grinning. She started talking rather fast, "Hello, my name is Sableye. I want all of you to know that I work at a company where I'd find dirts on people so I can report it on the news. So during my time here, I'll be doing everything I can to find all of your deepest, darkest, and most delicious secrets and expose it to the world. And no matter how well you've tried to hide your secrets, I will find out about it!"

She finished talking, her head cocked a little, showing off her razor teeth. Her deep purple color gave off a foreboding atmosphere, as her gem eyes began to look amongst the crowd with eager glee. The crowd exchanged glances, some more worried than others.

"I don't have any secrets," Bastiodon said, obviously lying. He yelped a bit, feeling Sableye's climbing onto his face and peered her gem eyes into the actor's.

"Everyone has secrets," Sableye said, "The fact you're denying it has proven you're hiding _more_ secrets."

"Get off your dinky hands off my face!" Bastiodon shook his head, sending the screaming Sableye flying into the ocean.

Her head popped up and then made an 'I've got my eyes on you' gesture.

"I'm starting to regret bringing her here," Mesprit said, looking wary.

"Hey, we've brought her here because she's hilarious!" Azelf said, smiling albeit nervous that his secrets were at risk.

"I'll put it on notes when she unveiled your secrets," Uxie said, giving him a small smirk.

Azelf glared at him.

"Excuse me, how many more contestants are we waiting for?" Leavanny asked.

"Yeah, I'm totally bored!" Octillery looked at the hosts, annoyed.

"You've only been here for five minutes," Infernape said.

"That's too long for me!"

Infernape rolled his eyes.

"To answer your question, Leavanny, we're now halfway through the introduction!" Azelf said, smiling. "And this guy is contestant number fourteen, Ursaring!"

Jumping off the Wailord, before waving the wail off with a kind grin, the newest contestant gave the cast the same look. He stood at an alarming height, his brown fur being nicely groomed, as a banjo rested in it's case on his back.

"Well, hello everyone." The bear said, his voice sounding aged and wise, despite not looking too old at all.

"Ursaring!" Azelf said, grinning, "Welcome to the show!"

Ursaring grinned down at the legendary, "Thanks for having me. Not much going on back home anyways."

"So what, you're a banjo singing bear who travels across the region?" Bastiodon rolled his eyes, "How original."

Ursaring shrugged, as he began to walk down towards the other contestants, "Not really looking for originality, but thanks for the feedback."

"Say, since you've got a banjo, maybe you could sing for us a bit?" Vanilluxe said, smiling.

"How about let's NOT do that," Leavanny said, annoyed.

The bear nodded, "Gotta respect the lady's opinion. I'll save that for when everyone's comfortable with it."

Uxie let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

"Spoilsport," Mesprit muttered before showing a smile once more, "Anyways, our next contestant's arriving on this dock is none other than Hydreigon!"

As a confused Wailord stopped by the dock, it seemed to shake itself a bit in order to get the contestant off of it. As she floated off, her blue scales shined in the light, as her three heads began to look around at their surroundings with odd looks on their faces. After blinking, she made her way over to the hosts, only stopping in front of them due to Uxie holding out a hand.

Uxie gave her an odd look, "You seem a little...Out of it. Are you sure you wish to compete?"

The Hydreigon's heads all turned to each other, but just as one was about to speak, another began to open it's mouth, as a small headache began to develop in her head, "...Ow."

Azelf raised a brow in confusion, "What?"

"What?" Chandelure said.

"What?" Leavanny said.

"What?" Sableye said, now stood on the dock, still soaking.

Furret looked up from her notepad, looking at everyone's reaction. "Did I miss something?"

The Hydreigon blushed slightly at their reactions, as she began to float over to them, seemingly about to attempt speaking again, this time the second head not saying a thing, "I apologize. Three minds, one brain."

"Three minds?" Ursaring said, blinking, "Wow…"

Hydreigon blinked at this, before opening her mouth again, before cringing back with another headache, "...It's quite annoying."

"Unfortunately, most Hydreigon are like that," Leavanny said, remembering details about the species's biology.

The dragon nodded her heads in annoyance, as she floated over towards the others, not even making an attempt at speaking.

"If she somehow survives three eliminations, I'll be astonished," Uxie stared at the dragon Pokemon.

"What about the guy underneath the dock?" Mesprit said, pointing downward.

Azelf raised a brow at her, "Huh?" He moved underneath the dock, only to discover another Pokemon, who looked like he was about to pull off a surprise entrance.

He yelped in surprise and then groaned, "Aw man!" He floated onto the dock, much the other contestants' surprise, "How did you know I was under here?"

Mesprit tapped her head, "We could sense you, Ninjask." She shrugged sheepishly, "Sorry."

Ninjask sweatdropped, "Oh," he muttered, but quickly replaced it with a smile, "Well, it's awesome to be here, man! I'll say hi to the others!"

He quickly moved over to them and waved, "Hey, guys, I'm Ninjask! Nice to meet you!"

"How long you've been under that dock?" Sableye narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Ninjask opened his mouth to answer her question, only for Xatu to beat him to it, "He's only been around right after you climbed back onto the dock. I didn't want to spoil his surprise." Her eyes were still staring at the sun.

"Oh, hehe, thanks!" Ninjask rubbed the back of his neck, smiling.

"I think we've found our this season's Pain Magnet," Azelf said, glancing at the optimists ninja.

"At least he's not a stalker from what we've heard of him," Mesprit said, remembering Ninjask's biography in the staff room.

"We'll let the game to define who he is," Uxie said, looking at the next approaching Wailord, "Our seventeenth contestant has arrived."

The other contestants watched a large Pokemon halted by the dock. They stared at the newest contestant stood on top of it. She was a small, pinecone-looking pokemon, some kind of grass and flowers completely surrounding her entire body on all sides. What stood her out the most though, were her pitch black sunglasses.

Still showing no expression, she jumped off of Wailord, landing in front of the hosts, "Officer Wormadam, reporting for duty!" If she had hands, she would've saluted.

Mesprit chuckled and returned the gesture, knowing what she was thinking, "At ease, ma'am."

"It's pretty awesome to see a fellow cop on our show," Azelf said, smiling.

" _Unless she decides to investigate your one night stand with Cat-"_ Uxie whispered, smirking until his brother placed a hand over his mouth.

" _Zip it!"_ Azelf gritted his teeth, glaring at him.

Uxie removed Azelf's hand from his mouth and returned a glare. He looked back at Wormadam, who was frowning suspiciously at them.

"It's not my business to butt into your lives, but I'm keeping a sharp eye on you guys."

"Just please don't arrest any contestant," Uxie said, now becoming annoyed with her like he did with most of the cast.

"No promises," she said, she glances at the staring crowd nearby, "Any one of these guys could step out of line at anytime. Until then, I'll stand by, ready to protect the innocents at all costs."

"Am I hearing this right," Zebstrika said to Yanmega, eyes widened, "She's a cop?"

"Law enforcers comes in many shapes," Yanmega said.

"What it is about shapes?" Wormadam hopped over to the boys.

"I'm just surprised there are small cops-" Zebstrika said.

" _Small?"_ Wormadam said, her voice became sharper.

Zebstrika gulped, realizing he's just made another bigot comment. He couldn't see it, but he could feel her glares behind her sunglasses.

The contestants took a step back, feeling the tension in the air again. Zebstrika remained frozen, watching the cop hopped closer to him, until they were only a feet apart.

"If we're going to be competing alongside one another, there's one thing you should know about me. _Don't_ underestimate me. I worked hard to get where I am, and damn proud of it. Do I make myself clear?"

A quick nod from the zebra Pokemon was all the answer she needed. She faced the others, "And another thing, if any of you cause any trouble, I _will_ step in and stop you! I'd watch your back, evildoers!"

The contestants exchanged glances. The hosts stared at Wormadam, who now stood near Vanilluxe and Purugly.

"So, by that logic, does that mean she's gonna arrest our next player?" Azelf said to his siblings.

"Only one way to find out," Uxie said, watching the next Wailord arriving at the dock. The Pokemon stood on top of it was a primarily blue cat, with small tufts of white along his collar and paws. He had two tails, and his ears appeared to be shut. His green eyes also seemed to have never blinked. He grabbed his luggages and hopped onto the dock.

He gave them a stern nod, "Hello." He was about to walk over to the other contestants until a hand stopped him.

"Meowstic, as you stated in your audition tape, we _know_ you own actual weapons," Uxie said, narrowing his eyes at him, "We have to check your luggages."

Remained silent, Meowstic gave them his luggages. While the hosts were analyzing his luggages with their minds, the other contestants stared at the Psychic Pokemon in shock.

"Weapons?" Leavanny said, eyes widened, "He brought _dangerous_ weapons with him?"

"We don't even know what kind of weapon he's owned," Ninjask said albeit stars in his eyes in amazement. He took out a pair of nunchaku, "I brought this, and the hosts didn't do anything to take it away."

Leavanny stared at the young man beside her, and then took a step away from him. She frowned and folded her arms once more, "I'm going to die, surrounded by a bunch of psychos," she muttered.

The hosts finished their analyzation and looked at Meowstic, who extended his hand to receive it. He wasn't expecting for Uxie to extend his own hand.

"Hand it over," Uxie said, frowning.

Meowstic looked hesitated, but then sighed. He removed a cloaked dagger from his two tails and gave it to him.

"Thank you. Now you can go meet the others," Uxie said, returning Meowstic's luggages to him.

Miffed, Meowstic walked over to the other end of the dock. Half of the contestants stood away from him.

"What kind of weapons do you owns?" Infernape asked him, intrigued.

Meowstic remained silent and stood by the edge of the dock.

"Well, that's another contestant we'll have to watch out for," Uxie muttered, glancing at the psychic Pokemon.

"Part of our jobs is to look out for their wellbeings," Mesprit said, showing similar concern.

"And our owns," Azelf said before coughing to clear his throat. He smiled at the camera, "Okay! Our nineteenth contestant has arrived! And her name is Jellicent!" He gestured to the Pokemon on top of the next Wailord. She was a rather large jellyfish-like creature, her out of place lipstick causing even Uxie to cringe a little, and her almost emotionless looking eyes sent shivers down some of their spines.

She floated off Wailord and stared at the hosts.

"Welcome to our show, Jellicent!" Mesprit said, smiling albeit strained.

Jellicent continue to stare at them, not moving an inch.

"Can you please move over to the others?" Azelf gestured to the other contestants, eyes pleaded.

Without a word, Jellicent floated over to the other side of the dock. However, she never took her eyes off the hosts. "You blinked. I win," she said, emotionless.

Octillery leaned her head towards Hydreigon. _"Totally cccrrrrreeeeeeppppppyyyyy!"_

" _I know,"_ Jellicent whispered, somehow managed to snuck up behind Octillery.

Hydreigon and Octillery screamed. The former flew off the dock, while the latter dropped her magazine and jumped into the water below.

"She pulled it off better than me," Ninjask said, looked creeped out by her as well.

Uxie shuddered. "Forget Meowstic. I want her to be eliminated first."

Soon after he said this, the twentieth Wailord entered the view, as the Pokemon on it gave the contestants the most serious stare any of them had ever seen in their life. The Pokemon on it was a rather wide purple blimp, with each of his four arms ending in some kind of pale golden color. His eyes were completely vacant and empty, and an odd tuft of cloud acted as some kind of thing of hair on his head.

"Nope, he's still better than the last two," Azelf said, unnerved by the contestant's intense eyes. It reminded him of his producers in the staff room.

"H-hi, Drifblim," Mesprit said, showing a shy smile. Her eyes never moved away from Drifblim's eyes.

Looking over the three hosts, he approached Mesprit, speaking in a monotone voice, "For god's sake put some damn confidence into your voice. I refuse to take a woman seriously unless she proves she's worth taking goddamn seriously."

Mesprit's eyes widened, baffled by Drifblim's blunt response.

Azelf snickered, but immediately regret it when Drifblim's eyes fell towards his, as the Drifblim continued, "Something funny? Because I'd love to know what, just so I can find it and destroy it in front of your very eyes, just to prove to you I am more than capable of doing whatever I want to you, regardless of your power. Maybe it'd actually toughen you up enough to straighten your back too. You look like a hunchback waiting to happen."

Uxie smirked at Azelf's whimpers of fear. "Welcome to the show, Drifblim. I'm sure your presence here shall make this place more pleasant."

Drifblim turned to Uxie, "Kid, I recommend watching your tone in front of me. The last person to speak to me that way got just one chance to take it back. He didn't," his voice became grim behind the deadpan speaking, "I proceeded to break every bone in that man's body, just so I can fix him up again, before I proceeded to break them a second time."

Uxie felt his blood run cold. He gestured to the other contestants without a word. Drifblim gave him a stern nod, picked up his luggages and floated towards the others. They stared at him in shock. Even Furret, who put her notepad under her arm and stood straight.

Infernape chuckled. "I like this guy."

Drifblim did not turn to face the monkey, "The feeling shall not be returned until I deem it fit to think of you or anyone else here as anything more than easily torn pieces of paper."

Octillery only had her head out of the water, unsure whether to climb back onto the dock because of the serious ghost. Unfortunately for her, he spotted her.

Shaking his head, he put down his luggage, before floating down and grabbing the top of her head with one hand, before beginning to float back up. Placing her down on the wooden dock, he gave her an expressionless face, "If you're not in the place you should be, get the hell moving so you can respect any new arrivals that show up. Do I make myself clear?"

Octillery wasn't one to obey adults, but she nodded rapidly. Drifblim took a moment to stare right through her, seeing nothing but a teenager too high on their own ego to actually listen to a damn word he says. He turned away after a full minute had passed, so he could face the newest arrival.

The other contestants wanted to move away from him, but considering Jellicent and Meowstic were standing nearby, they have no choice but stood beside him.

After the last three introductions, the hosts looked desperate and shaken.

"We really need an easy introduction," Mesprit said.

As if life or in this case, the show granted her wish, the Wailord had arrived, carrying their twenty first contestant. She was a small koala bear, her grey fur shining in the light lightly, and she was currently holding a large piece of pick wood close to her body.

Azelf let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thanks goodness! It's Komala!"

Komala let out a gentle snore, cuddling her small wooden log.

Uxie shrugged, "Still better than some people here," Using telekinesis, he lifted Komala and her luggages off of Wailord and put her onto the dock.

Mesprit floated over to her, giving her a gentle smile. "Hello, Komala. Welcome to our show."

Disturbed by Mesprit's voice, Komala let out a yawn and opened her eyes halfway, staring at her. "W-where am I?"

"You're on the island," Azelf said, "You're here!"

"Oh, good to know," Komala said before letting out a yawn and then went back to sleep again.

The hosts exchanged glances and then Uxie used his telekinesis once more and lifted her over to the other contestants.

Purugly tapped Komala's head. In response, the koala Pokemon slumped to the floor, still hugging her wooden log, "Is she always like that?"

"She's a drowsing Pokemon," Chandelure said, floating closer to them, "Her species is hardly awake. I wouldn't put a lot of expectations toward this Pokemon."

" _Easy finalist, right there!"_ Several Pokemon said in their thoughts.

"At this point, it's hard to tell who's gonna come in last this season," Azelf said to his siblings.

"More insane results for us then," Uxie said.

"Make it more fun for the viewers!" Mesprit gave them a smile and then faced the next Wailord's arriving at the dock. On the Wailord's back was a rather pudgy looking golden mouse, with a clearly undeveloped look of interest in his pure black eyes. His limbs barely moved at all as he gently swayed back and forth.

"Raichu!" Azelf said, grinning, "How's your ride here, buddy?"

"About as fun as watching your own species dancing on a stripper pole," Raichu said. His yellow cheeks became sickly green. He suddenly move over to the edge and projectile vomits down Wailord's side, much the large Pokemon's dismay. Uxie used telekinesis to lift Raichu and his luggages onto the dock.

"Did you drink before you arrived here?" Uxie asked in disgust.

Raichu removed the vomits from his mouth and gave him a drunkish grin. "If I'm coming to game, I've gotta let myself llloooooossssseeeee!" He waved peace signs with both paws, but then fell onto the floor and let out drunkish laughter.

Azelf and Mesprit exchanged glances while Uxie shook his head at the pathetic man. He used telekinesis once more to lift him the drunken mouse and his luggages over to the other contestants.

Raichu looked at his opponents. "Am I on fanfiction or something 'cause you guys looked like f-fictional folks!"

Purugly chuckled and showed a toothy smile. "Somebody have a good time."

Raichu gave her what appeared to be a flirty expression, but it was hard to tell since he consumed too much alcohol, "You knnnoooowww what would be insane? A cat and a mouse f-fucking each other!"

Purugly showed a grin and would've step forward if it wasn't for Espeon moved between them.

"No adultery on this island!" She shouted, glaring at Purugly, who returned the same thing.

Drifblim picked up Raichu, who still thought that was Purugly. He puckered his lips and wiggled his tongue, much to Drifblim's dismay. In response to the attempt though, the blimp proceeded to knock the mouse unconscious.

"Found our first eliminated contestant," Uxie said, frowning.

Azelf shrugged, "Eh, we'll see."

Mesprit narrowed her eyes at the next Wailord, who seemed to be approaching the island faster than usual. Having a closer inspection, she gasped. "Guys, I think I saw blood on Wailord!"

Uxie and Azelf snapped their heads at Wailord, who arrived at dock, tears running down his face. He left as soon as the newest Pokemon jumped off. Despite they were legendaries Pokemon, they couldn't stop themselves from floating back a bit. Standing only a few feet away was a rather ugly looking purple mutt, slobber staining her upper lip and a natural glare being present on her at all times.

"Granbull, what did you do to that Wailord?" Azelf asked, staring at the blood on Granbull's hands.

Granbull growled. "I was giving him a back scratch, but apparently, the big guy can't take it." She shook her head in disgust. "Pathetic."

"If that was you being nice, I'd hate to see what you're like when you're rude," Mesprit said, looking nervous.

"I wasn't trying to be nice," Granbull said, sneering at her.

Uxie floated forward, appalled by her action,. "Miss Granbull, you'd better start writing an apology letter for Wailord unless you want to face the consequences."

Granbull showed off her bloodied hands. "Does _this_ looks like I'd give a shit about consequences? I was carrying out a message…" She snapped her head at the other contestants, who jumped by her shouting. "TO ALL OF YOU!"

Before the hosts could say any more, Granbull stomped over to her future victims. Not wanting his face to be ruined, Bastiodon moved behind Ursaring and pushed him forward, "You're a scary, big guy! Do something!"

"Why you're asking me?" Ursaring said, looking nervous at the approaching mutt, "I'm only a country singer!"

However, before she could get any closer, Drifblim landed in front of Granbull, "Calm down now or I'll be forced to intervene."

Granbull ignored his warning and launched herself towards him, opening her huge jaw to pop a giant balloon. Instead, she suddenly felt her jaw slam shut, and before she could respond, she had already been flipped onto her back by the blimp, "Try again if you must, but this is rather boring."

Granbull's eyes became red, and veins popped out of her forehead. She WON'T be taken down that easily. She quickly got back on her feet and pulled her fist back.

"That's enoug-" Wormadam stepped in to intervene, only to receive a fist to her face, knocking her into the water.

"Please, please!" Vanilluxe said, looking concerned at the pair, "This is our first day! Let's not start the game with violence!"

However, before any more violence could continue forming on the dock, Drifblim had already picked up the dog by her throat, suspending her in mid-air as he calmly said, "Can someone get the bagworm out of the water while I take care of this?"

Yanmega flew down and picked up the fazed Wormadam and then put her back onto the dock. As he did this, Drifblim stared the dog in the eyes, "Anything else you wanna say or do before I proceed the drown you, only to revive you a few minutes after, just so you saw that there was nothing waiting for you on the other side of this life?"

Granbull heaved, glaring hatefully at the blimp Pokemon. She wanted to scratch his arms and utilize her jaws to rip him apart like a chewable dog toy. However, looking into his eyes, she can tell his threat was serious. Reluctantly, she dropped her arms, but still growled at him.

Dropping her onto the ground forcefully, he floated back to his original spot on the dock was, before glancing at Sableye next to him. Sableye noticed this and looked at him, arms folded. No words need to be said.

" _I'm not supposed to show bias, but I want her gone first,"_ Mesprit whispered, not wanting for Granbull hear her.

"Me too, but she'll make up for great ratings!" Azelf said, showing a small smile.

"Enough chitter chatter, we have to carry on with the introduction," Uxie said, arms folded as he watched the next Wailord to arrive. On the back of said Wailord was a rather goofy looking individual, with the widest smile they'd ever seen in their lives on his face, and a bow tie about where you hope his neck would be.

Mesprit showed a smile, trying to match his massive smile, "Hi, Quagsire! I love your bow tie!"

The Quagsire's face did not change for a moment, before his smile widened even more, "Why, thank you ma'am, I-"

His face suddenly changed though, as he spotted something in the distance. All the way out in the water sat a single Ducklett, which quacked to itself as it failed to realize anything that was going on around it.

"Err, Quagsire?" Mesprit said, blinking, "Hello!" She waved her arms to get his attention.

Suddenly, Quagsire ran at full speed at the end of the dock, running past everyone, before jumping into the air elegantly, screaming, "Ducklett!"

He landed in the water with about the grace of a Mamoswine, as he started swimming towards it at a completely unnatural speed, before grabbing onto the Ducklett, which did not react in the slightest. He suddenly began swimming at full speed once more back towards the dock, before somehow jumping right out of the water and onto the dock, before running back to where he stood before, as he began to pet the Ducklett in his arms.

He began to speak again, "So like I was saying ma'am, I think bow ties look pretty snazzy."

Mesprit and her siblings remained silent, eyes widened.

"Quagsire, what the hell was that all about?" Azelf asked, blinking.

The water fish blinked, before holding out the Ducklett, "Ducks are cute. I wanted to pet one. And now he shall be my companion named Jojo."

The hosts exchanged glances once more.

"Okay…" Mesprit said, gesturing to the other end of the dock, "Please say hi to your future friends over there."

Nodding, Quagsire bowed, "Why of course, milady."

He then placed the Ducklett on his head, as he walked towards the others. He began to wave at them, "Hello future friends and potential water buddies."

The contestants stared at him, not knowing what to say after that bizarre obsession with a Ducklett. Soon, one Pokemon floated forward.

"Hello, my name is Vanilluxe!" He gave him grins, "It's nice to meet to you! You're quite a funny, happy fellow!"

Quagsire blinked, "I'm sorry I was thinking about berries. So I'm gonna go find some berries."

He then walked right off the dock, floating towards the island, as he began to pluck oran berries out of a nearby oran berry bush, stuffing some into his mouth in the meantime.

The contestants and the hosts stared at him once more. Furret chuckled, "I like him. He's funny."

Uxie shook his head. "Let's introduce the next competitor before we'd spend all day being flabbergasted by him."

The next Wailord had arrived, dropping off the twenty fifth contestant. She had a rather strange appearance, her red and yellow outer shell armor standing out the most, as her expression looked like one of neverending worry, as she glanced around everywhere nervously.

"Alola, Turtonator!" Azelf said, waving at her, "Must've took ya a long time to get here, huh?"

Turtonator took a deep breath and gave him a nod, "It was. Especially being surrounded by water for hours."

"Well, the good new is, you won't have to worry about that for a while," Mesprit said, giving her a gentle smile to ease her worries.

Turtonator nodded at the contestants at the other end of the dock, looking wary, "Those are the contestants, right?"

Uxie nodded, "That's right. They're your competition. We can start when we meet our final competitor. Please stand over there."

She clenched her luggages more and took another deep breath, "Okay." She walked over to them.

Vanilluxe floated over to the front of crowd, bearing two large grins. He stopped when she walked past them and stood by the center of the crowd, glancing suspiciously at everyone.

"Definitely a worrywart," Ursaring said.

Granbull showed a nasty grin at her, until she realized Drifblim was staring dead at her.

"Don't worry, guys! The wait is almost over!" Azelf said, grinning at them. He pointed at the last Wailord. "We've got one more player to join!"

"About time," Uxie muttered.

Soon enough, the final Wailord came into view, as they could all briefly make out his appearance. To the surprise of everyone, he actually looked decently intimidating from facial features only, but it was the rather odd looking bubble-like orbs surrounding the points of each of his spider-like appendages, and the odd orb surrounding his head.

"Araquanid!" Mesprit gave him a grin, relieved that the introduction was finally over, "Welcome to our show! You're the last person to arrive!"

To her surprise, the spider let out a sigh, "And like always, I'm the last to gain relevance. Good to know I guess."

Uxie rose brow, "Wait, I'm sorry what?"

Araquanid moved past the hosts over to the cast, nervously glancing to the side once, before he lightly waved at them, trying his hardest to fake a smile, "Um...Hey guys."

Espeon gave him a kind smile, "Hello."

He faked a chuckle, "Wow, someone replying back, that's new."

He nervously coughed, as his eyes started to dart from side to side again, before quickly making his way into the crowd of contestants, quickly disappearing within it.

"And with that, everybody is here!" Azelf said, grinning at the contestants before him.

Uxie clapped to get their attention. Once everyone looked at him, he spoke. "Would everybody please follows us to the campground's center, we'll explain our rules regarding this game."

The hosts floated out of the dock with a large crowd following closely behind.

* * *

The contestants stood in front of the hosts at the campground's center. Most looked around their surroundings, wrapping their minds that this would be their home for a little while. They snapped back to the hosts when Mesprit clapped once more.

"Everyone, welcome to our brand new show called Total Pokemon Alphabetical!" Mesprit said, grinning.

Quagsire looked up, "Wait...Wasn't there something called Alphabet sorta like-"

"We didn't get the copyright!" Azelf quickly said, looking nervous.

"Everyone, take a good long look at each other," Uxie said as the contestants exchanged glances, "These are some of the most colourful, psychotic, memorable pokemon you shall ever meet in your life. You will compete with them, sleep with them-"

Purugly snickered.

Uxie frowned at Purugly for interrupting him, "And in a highly unlikely chance, will be your friends."

Vanilluxe and Hydreigon exchanged glances and smiled.

"But don't get too comfortable because only ONE of you twenty six players will win the ultimate prize! One! Million! Dollars!" Azelf said, arms out in grand manner.

Most of the contestants cheered, while the rest just applauded.

"This island, Wawanakwa, will be your home for the next two and a half months," Mesprit said. "There are lot of places for you guys to explore so you'll never be bored on your day off."

"Here's the rules for this game," Uxie said, "Every three days, teams will compete in a challenge in a hope to claim immunity for themselves. The losing team will spend the next day discussing the votes. The person who receive the most votes at each elimination will be asked to leave the island, and never come back. For good." He said in an afterthought, letting the contestants know how serious he was about the elimination.

"Question, what are these buildings?" Furret asked, pointing at the three different buildings closeby. None too far from each other.

"I was getting to that, Furret," Azelf said, "Each building serves a purpose. That golden building behind me is the Golden Inn!" He jabbed a thumb behind him. It was a two-story building covered in gold. It looked like the kind of building only people in upper society can afford to live in. There was a trophy engraved on the front door. "It contains four double bedrooms with their own private bathrooms. It's air conditioned. I won't say more to keep you all surprise, but let's just say, I hope you like a hot tub." He smirked at them.

Octillery and Bastiodon gasped in excitement. Everyone else murmured in happiness, knowing they could lives in a luxury building.

"You want it, your team gotta come first as it's only for the WINNING team," Azelf said, smiling. "And no, the building isn't made out of actual gold. It's just painted gold that's all."

Octillery, Granbull, and Zebstrika put their hands down in annoyance.

"The silver building is called the Silver Cabin!" Mesprit said, gesturing to the building on Golden Inn's right. It was a one story building coated in silver. It shaped like a nice quality cabin with a nice porch and a swinging bench. There was a silver trophy engraved on the door albeit slightly rusty, "It's basically a place you'd sleep in in a good camp. It's not luxurious, but it's still clean and comfortable. There's one side for the guys, and one for the girls. Each room contains bunk beds, a heater, and a small bathroom. This goes for whichever team places second."

"Wait a minute, there's a gold and a silver, and we still need a bronze, does that mean we're going to have three teams?" Yanmega said, eyes widened.

Uxie nodded. "You're correct, Yanmega. You will all be split into three teams."

Leavanny raised a hand. "Pardon me for interrupting, but how would it works? Twenty six divided by three wouldn't make it equal. How would you solve that?"

"We have a solution for it," Uxie said.

Leavanny became silent, albeit raising a brow in suspicion.

"So where the bronze building?" Infernape asked, dreading to know which building he may have to sleep in.

Uxie pointed to the left side of Golden Inn. Everyone looked where Uxie was pointing at and grimaced. It was a shack. A rusty, bronze coated one story building with only one window. There was a bronze trophy engraved on the door, albeit paint was coming off and looked it was going to come off.

"Don't tell me we'll have to sleep in there!" Bastiodon took a step backward, not wanting to get closer than he already was.

"Nobody will force you all to sleep inside that Bronze Shack," Uxie said, "However, the losing team can either sleep in there, or you can embrace your wild Pokemon nature and sleep outside."

Meowstic shrugged, "Not a problem with me." That was the first time he spoke since he arrived at the dock.

"Yeah, for you," Sableye muttered.

"The only thing you could do in there is to curl up on a cold, rough floor," Uxie said, smirking at the sight at the contestants' grim expression, "Its purpose is to motivate you all to try harder in challenges so you wouldn't end up spending a night without comfort."

"So how do you determines the teams?" Wormadam asked, glancing at her opponents, "I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into before I'd join."

"By today's challenge!" Azelf said, grinning. "To honor our alphabetical theme, each challenge will be based on a letter of the day." He brought out a capital letter A, "And the first letter is A! Like my name!"

"Wow, I learned something today!" Purugly said in a sarcastic tone, albeit smirking.

Azelf glared at her before smiling again, "Your first challenge is called Alphabet Assembles! Each of you must find twenty six different letters all over the island and then bring them over to the table with your name on it." He pointed at the twenty six tables nearby. Each had empty slots of the alphabet, "The first three contestants to gather the entire alphabet onto their tables win rewards!"

"And the best part is?" Mesprit said, smiling, "None of you will go home today!"

The contestants cheered, pleased that no one will be eliminated on day one.

"Be warned," Uxie pointed out, "Today is the _only_ non-elimination episode. Afterward, your group will dwindle."

"Does anyone have any question beside the rewards, which I'll explain at the end of the challenge?" Azelf asked the contestants.

"Are we allowed to steal other people's letter?" Turtonator asked, glancing suspiciously at the contestants surroundings her.

"You can, but once the letters are in the slots, you cannot pull it out," Azelf said.

Infernape and Espeon exchanged glares.

"When are we having lunch?" Furret asked, "I'm getting hungry."

"All of you will have your meal after today's challenge," Mesprit said before pulling out a spatula and smiled, "You should all know that I'm a cook. I'll make sure to satisfy your needs."

" _So do I,"_ Purugly whispered, snickering.

"You shouldn't complain too much about the challenge because the letters are easy to find than you'd think," Uxie said. "I'd predict it'll be finished within two hours."

"With that's said and done," Azelf raised his arm, grinning, "Are you ready?"

"Hell yeah!" Yanmega shouted, doing a somersault before get into a position.

Everyone else gets into their running positions, some more determined than the others.

"Get set!"

Komala snored.

Granbull growled, shifting her eyes at her enemies.

Drifblim...Just stared at the camera.

Vanilluxe looked excited.

Azelf swung his arm down." GO!"

The hosts watched the contestants either ran or fly, heading in any direction where they believed the letters were nearby. All three hosts smiled. This was going to be an interesting season at the very least.

* * *

 **Forest**

Turtonator ran through the forest as fast as her species possibly could. She already carried three letters in her arms. She kept looking at her surroundings, believing that someone could make a surprise attack any moment. Her mind was running through several scenarios. Go back and put them on her table now, but costing her time? Or find more letters, but having a hard time to carry them all, thus making her vulnerable to more vicious contestants.

"Hi honey!"

Turtonator yelped in surprise, dropping her letters as a result. She snapped her head behind her, seeing Vanilluxe grinning at her. He had four letters stuck on his two heads since he doesn't have hands. She gasped and moved her eyes back onto the ground, where she started picking up her letters. By then, Vanilluxe floated over to her.

"I missed you for several hours!" Vanilluxe nudged his heads at Turtonator's in happiness.

Turtonator pushed him away, giving him a panicked look, before saying in a quiet tone, "Vanilluxe, we cannot be seen like this! You and I both agreed we should hide our relationship from the others to benefit our chances!"She whispered, gesturing between them.

"That might be hard to accomplish when a contestant before you had arrived vowed to reveal other people's secrets."

Turtonator's eyes widened further, "What? Who is it?"

"Sableye. The young lady with gems as her eyes."

Turtonator slapped a hand to her forehead, "Oh, that's just great! Now it's going to be harder than ever for us to win!"

Vanilluxe gave her his usual smiles, "There's no way to know what will happen. It's games like this that gives _anyone_ a chance to win!"

Turtonator sighed, but then her head jolted. She snapped her head in all direction, as she whispered in a slightly louder voice, "Someone's coming! We're too exposed! I've gotta go!"

Vanilluxe opened his mouths to offer her his letters, but she was already making distances between them. He closed his mouths, but chuckled, "Ah, she's such a worrywart," He showed gentle smiles, as a slight blush appeared on his faces, "My lovely worrywart."

* * *

 **Clearing**

At the clearing, Infernape picked up his seventh letter. Still puffing on his cigar, he looked around the area. He can see the forest nearby, no doubt there would be more letters there. However, he's been finding the letters quicker than expected just like Uxie said. He looked up, seeing Yanmega in the sky. Both of them decided to work together to benefit their chances to reap the rewards.

"Hey, did you find more letters?" He shouted at the dragonfly pokemon.

Yanmega flew downward and meet up with him. He was carrying only five letters since he didn't have long legs. He nodded to his right, "There are plenty by the beach, but too exposed for anyone to find it."

Infernape nodded, "Got it." Looking at the letters in his arms, he made up his mind, "I'm gonna head back. Hate to lose these so soon."

Yanmega nodded, "Same," He was about to head back to the campground when a thought occurred to him. He looked back at him, "Hey, man, do you wanna form an alliance?"

Infernape raised a brow, "Alliance?"

"Yeah, we could be in for a long run. And if I'm gonna need allies, I'd prefer my chances with someone with military experiences like me," He extended his leg, smiling, "What do you say, man? We're both a threat, but let's be a threat together."

Infernape stared at Yanmega's extended leg, thinking about his offer. It may be strange to be forming an alliance with a stranger, but if his experience had taught him anything was that common goals was one of the main keys of creating a camaraderie. Plus, there may come the time where his age could backfire him. He's not as young as he was anymore. He knew he can't win this game alone. His mind was made up.

He gave him a smirk, "Alright, I'll take your offer,"

"Awesome," Yanmega grinned, shaking Infernape's hand.

"One condition, though," Infernape said.

Yanmega raised a brow, "What's that?"

"I want Drifblim to join us," he said, thinking back at the dock.

Yanmega was silent for a moment, before a grin split his face, "I can tell we're gonna make a great team. Great minds think alike!"

Infernape chuckled before running back towards the campground, "Good luck!"

"You too, man!" Yanmega said, launching himself to the sky, already halfway back to the campground.

* * *

 **Forest**

"Bastiodon, it is true that you took a surgery to make yourself looked younger, but in reality, you're fifty years old?" Sableye asked.

Being interrogated by one of the contestants was not what Bastiodon had in mind when he asked if she wanted an autograph from him. He and Sableye were in a different area of the forest, but there were more light streaming through the trees. Sableye was holding a notebook and a pencil, ready to write down anything at any moment.

"No," Bastiodon shook his head.

Sableye wrote down his reply on her notebook and then looked up at Xatu, who was flying above the pair. Komala was sleeping on her back, "Xatu, you claimed to see other people's past, present, and future because you're a fortune teller. Do you know what happened, what's happening, and what will happen on this show?"

Xatu stared down at her for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I have answers for all of them."

Now became interested as Sableye, Bastiodon looked up at Xatu, eyes widened.

"Cool," Komala murmured, curling on Xatu's back.

"Can you tell me everyone's secret?" A huge toothy grin appeared on Sableye's face.

"Forget that!" Bastiodon shouted at Sableye before looking back at Xatu, giving her a smug smile, "Do I win Total Pokemon Alphabetical? I know I will, but I just want to be sure."

Xatu remained in silent, staring at the pair long enough to make them feel like she was staring into their souls. They looked down, not wanting to catch her gaze anymore.

Bastiodon let out a huff, "Fine. Be that way. But even if you won't tell me what happens, I _know_ I'm going to-"

"I can say this, though," Xatu said, catching the pair's attention once more, "Every one of us here will have several uphill battles lie in our paths. Some more difficult than others. I cannot say who because that would imply they would last a while in this game."

"Is one of them me?" Bastiodon asked, eyes gleaming.

Xatu remained silent.

"I'll take that as a yes," Bastiodon showed a smug smile.

"Be careful letting fame merging with your personality," Before Bastiodon could ask what she meant, Xatu looked at Sableye. "and Sableye, you should appreciate your relationships with your loves one more," She give a quick glance at Komala.

Sableye stumbled a little, but Bastiodon didn't notice. She looked down at the ground.

* * *

 **Beach**

Quagsire rubbed Jojo's head, "And that is why the almighty Ducklett species will one day turn themselves into the perfect raft," he said, grinning like an idiot.

Furret chuckled, while Chandelure remained silent, staring at him. The three of them were on the beach. Furret and Chandelure already became good friends and decided to work together to find letters. When they've arrived, somehow, Quagsire was already there, playing with his new pet.

"You're a funny guy, Quagsire," Furret said, smiling, "And I don't laugh often."

Quagsire bowed to her, "Nah, I'm just wise...Or at least that's what my mommy always told me. She's a smart lady."

He began to cuddle the Ducklett next to his face, "And Jojo's a smart duck," the Ducklett then began to peck at the top of Quagsire's head, but he didn't seem to notice.

"My Mom's a smart lady too," Furret said, picking up two letters on the sand, "She's the main reason I am who I am today!"

Quagsire smiled at her, "My mommy has always been there for me, taught me everything herself. My daddy isn't around anymore though. Apparently he went off to frolic in fields with my grandma and great uncle after he talked to the truck of this nice driver. My mommy doesn't tell me much about it though."

Furret stopped smiling and exchanged glances with Chandelure.

"I'm sure, your relatives are having a great time there," Chandelure said, carrying nine letters with his telekinesis. He looked at Furret, "So, Furret, what kind of stories do you write?"

"I'd write fanfiction," Furret said, "They're not novels, but it's a great way for me to learn how to write! To think what would happens with my life if I haven't stumbled across that website."

"Well, people are defined by their experiences. At least it's a good experience," Chandelure gave her a smile.

Furret returned a smile. "Yeah, I'm definitely one of the lucky ones."

"No! Jojo, don't eat the sand…" Quagsire said, watching his pet's swallowing some sand. He showed a large grin once more, "At least not without proper utensils. Let me go grab some for supper."

Quagsire ran past the two quickly, as he raced to find to nearest spoons he could find. The pair stared at him as he quickly became smaller in the distance.

* * *

 **Clearing**

Espeon was currently roaming through a large field, which to her luck had been filled with letters. You could practically not even walk for more than five feet before you found another one. Though the disadvantage of this came in the form that she had found plenty of copycats. While she had built up close to twenty of the letters as a whole, those last couple failed to no end to relieve the annoyance present in her at the moment.

"Where are the other letters?" Espeon muttered, throwing away copycat letter.

"Maybe you're supposed to look at other places to find different letters," the disembodied voice said.

Espeon turned around, seeing Ursaring nearby, giving her a gentle wave and a smile. She can see he was carrying at least ten different letters in his arms.

"It ain't a fun scavenger hunt if everything you're looking is in the same place," he said, chuckling.

Espeon chuckled, "I agree. But since I found so many here already, it couldn't hurt searching around for more."

Ursaring nodded at all the letters Espeon was holding with her telekinesis, "I can tell. If the rest of the challenges are something like this, you can easily win."

Espeon chuckled once more and smiled. "Quite a flatterer are you?" She nodded at the letters in his arms. "So how many did you found?"

"I've got about twelve here. I was gonna head back until I saw you with all these," Ursaring held out his letters.,"Are there any letter do you need to complete your alphabet?"

"What?" She said, eyes widened, "I couldn't accept those! You worked hard for it!"

Ursaring chuckled, "I wouldn't call it finding these in twenty minutes a hard job. And besides, I care more about grabbing some grubs. As soon as we'd finish the challenge, the better."

Espeon looked uncertain but then returned a smile. "Well, if you issists. I need letters, C, E, I, L, O, and P."

Ursaring put his letters on the ground and looked at them. Soon, a smile appeared on his face. "Well, I'll be darned. Every letter you need is right here."

Espeon beamed, "Oh, that's fantastic!"

Ursaring picked up the letters Espeon needed, "Do you want me to carry some of those letters for you?"

Espeon glanced at the letters she was carrying. Every second using her telekinesis was draining her energy by a little. She nodded, "Yes, please."

The bear Pokemon grabbed some of the letters from Espeon until each carrying half of the alphabet. He showed a grin, "Alright! Let's head back!"

Espeon nodded and then she and Ursaring started walking back to the campground, now content in each other's presence.

* * *

 **Forest**

Currently, Ninjask found himself quickly flying through the woods at his top speed, and was somehow avoiding hitting a single tree in his path, despite most of them being rather large and hard to avoid. Ninjask himself couldn't help but feel just a little cocky at this, as he effortlessly grabbed some letters from the tops of the trees in the process.

As he continued to fly though, he noticed yet another letter just barely hanging off a branch, Ninjask allowed a smirk to form, as he reached for it. However, just before he could grab it, it was suddenly swept away by a cat paw, as Ninjask's eyes widened in fear, before he slammed head first into the branch, causing him to stop flying, and begin falling towards the ground below.

However, right before he was about to fall too far, his wing suddenly felt tugged onto, as he heard a voice above him, "You okay?"

Ninjask shook away the dull pain in his head and looked up, seeing Meowstic's gripping onto his wing. "Y-yeah! I'm cool."

Meowstic removed his grip from Ninjask's wing, allowing him to hover, "Word of advice, don't get cocky. You'll get eaten by zombies before you'd know it."

"I heard the same thing from my grand-" Ninjask stopped talking, replaying what Meowstic just said to him. He looked at him, "Did you say zombies?"

The psychic Pokemon nodded and stood straight on his branch, "That's right. Zombie apocalypse is going to happen eventually. Those who prepares the most will have the best chance of survival."

Ninjask stared at him, trying to grip what Meowstic just said, "You mean to tell me you bought all those weapons to face a _ZOMBIE_ apocalypse?"

Meowstic nodded again, "It may sounds fictional, but it's gonna happen one day. There's so many different kind of Pokemon in this planet, who's to say there isn't a zombie Pokemon?" He turned around, facing his back at Ninjask, "That's enough talks. I don't want to be attached to anyone."

Using the branch as a diving board, he launched himself onto a different, higher branch. He kept doing the same thing until he vanished from Ninjask's sight.

Ninjask blinked, trying to understand what's just happened. When he did, his eyes gleamed, "He's so much cooler than I thought."

He hovered downward to pick up his letters, only to discover they were nowhere in his sight. Coming to a conclusion a few seconds later, he narrowed his eyes and shook his fist in the air, "HEY!"

* * *

 **Outer Mountain**

Nearby a mountain, Granbull bared her teeth at the two contestants in front of her, "Would you stop fucking following me?"

Wormadam hopped forward, glaring at her behind her sunglasses, "After punching an officer? Not gonna happen. You're lucky we aren't back home or else, you'd be doing times for assaulting an officer."

Granbull gave her a nasty grin, "All the more reasons I'm gonna have a lot of fun on this show!"

Zebstrika glanced at the dog with a glare, "Well, as long as she's around, you clearly aren't gonna have as much," he then whispered at Wormadam, "Also, why did you want me here too?"

Wormadam gave him a glare, "Words got around you've made a sexist comment about us women."

Zebstrika's eyes widened, "Not _intentionally_. It just slipped out!"

Wormadam faced Granbull again, "Everyone is guilty until further evidence is found."

"The police department must be either stupid, desperate, or both if they hired a SMALL weakling like you!" Granbull spat on the ground to emphasize it.

Wormadam's eyes twitched behind her sunglasses, "Small?" she whispered.

Zebstrika took a step back, not wanting to be on the other end of Wormadam's wrath. Granbull smirked, pleased to find Wormadam's weak spot.

The cop narrowed her eyes, "That it! You're asking for it!" She launched herself into the air, her eyes never leaving Granbull's, "It's time to deliver the _PAIN OF JUSTICE!_ "

Using Razor Leaf, leaves appeared from her body, spinning around her for two seconds before launching it towards Granbull. The dog Pokemon used Roar, launching the leaves back to Wormadam. Although, low effective, but it was still enough for her to fall towards the ground.

Granbull lowered her head and sprinted, fully intended on using is until Zebstrika walked in front of the Granbull, and quickly pushed her to the ground, before keeping her there with the weight of his foot, "Yeah, I ain't allowing a crazy freak like you to do whatever you're trying to do."

Granbull growled at him, thrashing around, trying to get Zebstrika off of her. Tough she may be, his weight was too heavy for her. Wormadam hopped over to the downed dog as if, she was never harmed at all. They exchanged glares.

"Keep it up, and that's all you're gonna be doing until you're off the island," Wormadam said, a clear twang of power in her voice, even if she didn't notice herself.

"This isn't over!" Granbull spoke through her teeth.

"Maybe not, but in the end, justice will always prevail," She looked at Zebstrika and gave him a tiny nod.

Forcing the dog to her feet, the three continued to walk, before Zebstrika said, "So...Am I good now?"

Wormadam looked at him for several seconds before nodding, "Just don't make any more sexist or small comments, and you and I will get along fine."

The zebra smiled at this, "Cool, but I think I'll just keeping hanging around you while you deal with her, in case she tries something again."

Granbull growled at him.

Wormadam looked at her and then looked back at Zebstrika. "Very well."

* * *

 **Upper Hill**

Up near the top of a large hill, Hydreigon was having some...Difficulty. Currently, she was trying to fly, but due to all of her other heads constantly thinking of other things themselves, she constantly ended up stopping mid-flight and almost began falling multiple times. She was always able to catch herself due to all of her heads feeling the same way in those moments, but that was sadly a rare occurrence in it of itself.

Soon, she finally landed at the top of the hill, before her headache began to return. At this point though, she had grown relatively used to them. Doesn't make the fact that they were so common any less of a constant hindrance on her life any easier though. Groaning to herself, which actually took at least two heads mutual effort to do, she actually began to rest at the top of the hill.

"A...Quick nap...Won't hurt." She said to herself, as she began to attempt resting her eyes.

"Did I t-turn into a different f-form?" A disembodied drunkish voice said, "I feel like I'm f-flying!"

"No, I'm carrying you. I have been this whole time. Now stop talking, it's annoying." A second disembodied voice said, this one noticeably more uninterested in the conversation. A sound of vomiting was heard, before the disinterested voice said, "...That was gross."

Hydreigon's eyes fluttered open, before she stared up at the two voices, revealing Raichu, who had just covered the ground below him in vomit, and Drifblim, who was just carrying him with his same deadpan look. Hydreigon was barely able to say, "Are...Are you holding...Him?"

Drifblim stared at Raichu for a moment, before saying, "Yes, in both the literal, and strategic sense."

The dragon blinked, before asking, "...Can you...Carry me...Too?"

The blimp did not respond, but soon abruptly picked her up and threw her on top of his rather large head, "It is up to the strong to look after the weak. I'd have to do it even if you didn't ask."

Hydreigon did not respond, as she had already fallen asleep on top of his soft, surprisingly comfortable head, using the cloud stuck on top as a type of pillow, as she curled up on top of it. Drifblim continued to not react to this, or anything going on around him, as he began to make his way back to camp, expecting the challenge to almost be over.

Raichu empty his stomach once more before the sound of his vomits splattering on the ground below.

* * *

 **Outer Campground**

Just outside of the camp was a certain creepy jellyfish, who floated around it in an almost territorial manner. It seemed like if you wanted to get inside the camp, you'd have to stare her dead in the eyes while doing it. It was either an act of intimidation, or potentially, a way to simply freak people out. Either way, it seemed to be working, as nobody had returned to camp ever since she had begun to do this, not even to return and use the bathrooms.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Purugly quickly walking back with her tail wrapping around her letters. Without her tail around her waist, it left her overweight waist exposed to the viewing world. She floated towards her.

Purugly stopped, seeing Jellicent approaching her. She narrowed her eyes at her, "Move it so I can put these on my table!" She gestured to the letters in her tail.

Jellicent remained still, never taking her eyes off of Purugly's.

Purugly tried to walk around her, but Jellicent floated in front of her. She tried to move the other way, but again, Jellicent was front of her. Getting frustrated, she held up her paw, claws came out, "Get outta my way. You don't wanna know what I did with this!"

What she thought was Jellicent going to retaliate. Instead, she placed her large hand onto her face and then started breathing heavily. Purugly wanted to attack, but for some reasons, she couldn't. She kept staring at Jellicent who never remove her hand from her face. When she was walking backward, Jellicent floated forward, never stopped having a staring contest with her.

Soon, Purugly had had enough and ran the opposite direction, dropping her letters, "Forget this!" She kept running until she was sure she couldn't feel that ghost's eyes on her back.

Jellicent remained still until she picked up Purugly's letters and then floated over to her table. After slotting most of the unused letters. She stared at her table, knowing she was only six words from completing her challenge.

She headed back to her original position, ready to do the same thing like she did with others.

* * *

 **Lake**

It was nearing the end of time for the casts, as they all desperately ran around the island, putting all of their effort into finding the last letters they needed...Except for a certain two water-types. Early on in the challenge, both had the worst luck, with every spot they went to already getting picked dry by the competition. By this point, both had under five letters, and had basically given up on actually collecting them all. So instead, they were currently hanging out at the cleanest thing of water on the island, and even then that wasn't saying much.

Looking bored, Octillery slammed her tentacle into the water, splashing in all direction, oblivious as she soaked Araquanid beside her.

The spider in question soon asked in an annoyed tone, "Please don't do that again."

Octillery shrugged, "Whatever."

By then Leavanny had arrived, carrying a carrier bag designed with leaves. She stopped, seeing the two young competitors, "What are you doing?" she asked, raising a brow at them.

"Nothing," Octillery looked at her, looking completely bored.

"Yeah, just kinda relaxing for probably the only real opportunity in the competition," Araquanid said in an awkward and almost fearful tone.

Leavanny frowned, "You two were selected for this show out of possibly ten of thousands. I still don't understand why they chose me, but I might as well try before I'd leave."

Araquanid blushed in embarrassment at the statement, "...I mean, to be fair, I really have no idea why they chose me. I honestly expected to get swept under the rug like usual."

"And aren't you two a bit young for this competition? You looks like you should be in high school." Leavanny stated, as she awaited a proper response.

The two glanced at each other, before Araquanid said, "While I can't speak for her, I'm actually on my first year of college."

"Not me," Octillery said, "I'm totes DONE with school! From now on, it's all partying from here!" She smiled, waving her tentacles.

The spider smiled at her, "Sounds kinda impossible, but I wish you luck with that. Sounds like fun. I never really got invited to parties though, so what would I know?"

"That's makes you sound like a total loser, but you don't seem half-bad so far," Octillery said, shrugging.

Araquanid rose a brow at this, before semi-smiling, "Um...Good to know I guess," It was pretty clear he had no idea if that was actually a compliment.

"Partying isn't life," Leavanny said, annoyed by Octillery's plan for the future, "Those roads can only lead to unsanitary life filled with drugs, alcohol, and unwanted pregnancy. Anyone whose lives those kinds of lives is nothing but a waste of space."

Octillery leaned her head towards Araquanid and whispered, "I'd take it back, found the total loser here."

Araquanid could barely repress his laughing, as he tried his hardest to nod to the older figure in front of them respectably.

Leavanny scowled and then started walking away, face up, "When you begin to regret your life, I'd prefer to not to say 'I told you so'."

She stopped, hearing crackling all over the island.

"Attention, campers!" Azelf's voice was heard from the intercom, "We have our three winners! Drop your letters and come back to the campground immediately!"

Araquanid sighed, "Well, that was kinda fun while it lasted. Now to return to camp and face the fact that I'll probably be the first boot."

Octillery stared and shrugged, "Might as well have fun while you're here," She climbed out of the lake and started following Leavanny albeit slowly.

Blinking at this statement, the spider began to smile, as he began to follow the octopus.

* * *

 **Campground**

Most of the contestants stood in front of Azelf and Uxie, waiting for the result.

"Well, that was a fun first challenge!" Azelf said, grinning.

"I'd find the definition of the word fun to be completely different than yours. In my opinion, that was simply a repetitive activity that solved very little." Uxie said, clearly annoyed by his brother's singular presence.

Azelf shrugged off Uxie's negative comment, "It's just the first challenge."

"And also the thing that'll introduce most people to this show. It needed to be good, and yet it was completely dull and mostly pointless." Uxie responded, growing more agitated by the second as he stayed with Azelf.

Azelf rolled his eyes, "Potato, tomato," He faced the contestants again and grinned, "Now with only three players completed the challenge, today's winners are Yanmega, Espeon, and Quagsire!" He gestured to the three contestants remained by their tables with the completed alphabet in it.

Quagsire laughed happily, as he held Jojo over his head, "Jojo is now superior!"

"How the hell did Quagsire win?" Sableye asked, baffled by his victory.

"The last time I saw him after he ate sand, he and the Ducklett ran off towards the forest, grabbing every letter he could find," Furret said.

"It's rather embarrassing, though," Chandelure said, looking to the side.

"Quagsire may have completed the challenge, but he placed third," Uxie said, watching footages from his tablet. "Which means, the only reward he'll claim is a role of Team Captain."

Quagsire smiled at the people in front of them, "Yay, I get to claim people as my new friends for myself only."

Leavanny looked up at the sky, eyes pleading, "Please don't put me on his team," she muttered.

"Second place goes to Espeon, who will also become captain of her own team, and an additional reward which shall be explains in a minute," Uxie said, gesturing to Espeon, who smiled in satisfaction.

"Alright!" Ursaring said, clapping for his new friend.

"And last, but certainly not least, is Yanmega, who managed to gather the entire alphabet thirty minutes before Espeon completed hers," Uxie said, showing a small smile, "He'll become team captain, and two additional rewards which we'll explain in a minute."

Yanmega cheered, pumping his fists in the air before doing another somersault. The contestants applauded for his challenge's performance.

"And now it's time to reveal the next reward," Azelf said before facing Espeon and Yanmega. "Espeon, Yanmega, for ranking the top two, you'd get to choose an extra player to your team. Everyone else will be randomized."

Yanmega and Espeon looked pleased with the reward, and already made up their minds.

"I choose Infernape as my co-captain!" Yanmega said, grinning at his friend.

Infernape smirked, walked over to him, and exchanged fist bumps.

"I've only won because someone has been kind enough to offer me the rest of the alphabet," Espeon said, smiling at Ursaring, "I have to show my appreciation by selecting Ursaring on my team."

The bear Pokemon grinned and walked over to his newest teammate.

"Okay, we need to sort out the rest of you to join them," Uxie nodded his head at team captains. He pulled out a large bag, "Inside this bag contains your team coloured buffs. Whichever buff you'll retrieve will be your team."

"Which reminds me," Azelf said, bringing a small bag. He floated over to the team captains, "Pull out a buff, you three!"

Yanmega put his leg in first, pulling out an aqua buff with Azelf's face on it. Espeon used telekinesis to pull out a neon pink buff with Mesprit's face on it. And lastly, Quagsire pulled out a mustard yellow buff(which he tried to eat for a moment) with Uxie's face on it.

Azelf pulled out two more buffs for Infernape and Ursaring. Both of them claimed it.

Uxie faced the other contestants, holding out his large bag. "Okay, everyone. One at a time, come and remove a buff from this bag."

One by one, the remaining contestants pulled out a buff, whether by a hand or telekinesis, or even mouth. Those that couldn't pull out a buff has to wait until it was just them yet. When Uxie asked Vanilluxe and Wormadam, who should received the second to last buff, Vanilluxe gestured the cop to let her have it. Once she received hers, Uxie pulled out the last buff for Vanilluxe.

"If you'd all claim your buff, put them on to symbolize your team member status," Uxie said, facing everyone.

Each contestant started putting on their buffs, as each began to look around to see their new teams. As they did this, each moved towards their respective team captains, before each contestant now stood behind a new different contestant between the three.

"For those who's wearing a mustard yellow buff," Azelf said, grinning in excitement. "Chandelure, Jellicent, Komala, Ninjask, Purugly, Sableye, Turtonator, and team captain's Quagsire! You guys are known as the Unique Uxie!"

Quagsire turned to his new team, before engulfing Chandelure and Ninjask in a giant bearhug, which began to strangle the ninja, and cause the chandelier plenty of discomfort. Turtonator glanced at Sableye, trying her best not to cause any suspicion. Purugly looked at Jellicent and took a step back. Komala...was just sleeping.

"For those who's wearing a neon pink buff," Azelf said. "Bastiodon, Furret, Granbull, Meowstic, Raichu, Ursaring, Vanilluxe, Wormadam, and team captain's Espeon! You guys are known as the Mysterious Mesprit!"

Espeon allowed a soft smile to form on her face, as she began to whisper a small prayer to herself, wishing her allies the best of luck alongside her. Furret quickly began to scribble down notes and Ursaring chuckled at the two. Wormadam was glaring at Granbull, not allowing her gaze to leave the dog. Meowstic was backing a few feet away from a vomiting Raichu, as Bastiodon only glanced at the still smiling Vanilluxe, who was for some reason directing the smile at the Uxies.

"For those who's wearing an aqua buff," Azelf said. "Araquanid, Drifblim, Hydreigon, Infernape, Leavanny, Octillery, Xatu, Zebstrika, and team captain, Yanmega! You guys are known as the Awesome Azelf!"

Araquanid and Octillery glanced at one another, before smiles formed on their faces. Drifblim continued to have Hydreigon lay on his head, as Infernape and Yanmega began to discuss something of importance nearby. Xatu continued to stare ahead, as Leavanny began to take a few steps away from the team. As this all happened, Zebstrika began to heartily laugh to himself.

Uxie rolled his eyes at Azelf's team boasting name.

"With that's done! Now it's time to explain to one last reward, specially for Yanmega!" Azelf said, glancing at the dragonfly Pokemon.

Yanmega looked at the hosts with the utmost attention.

Azelf brought out a small rolled paper, tied by a string, "This, Yanmega, contains a clue to help you find an _extremely_ important item!"

Uxie brought out a wooden statue, which shaped like a thumb up. This bring everyone's attention, "This here, is an immunity idol. If you'd find one and play it at the elimination, any vote cast against you will not count. The person with the second highest number of votes will be eliminated instead."

"What?" Granbull shouted, making more nervous Pokemon jumped, "That's totally unfair! The Dragonfly will find it by the end of the night!"

Uxie gave her a smirk, "Who said this is the only idol?"

The contestants' eyes widened.

"What?" Bastiodon said.

"In this game, there are TWELVE," Uxie smirked at the contestants' shocked reaction, "Each contains their own power to change the outcome of this game. They'll be scattered all over the island, but none of them will be easy to find. But the more you'd find them, the greater power you'll receive in this game. My only advice? When you'd find one, use it wisely, or else, it'll be checkmate for _you_."

Some exchanged glances, while others maintained their wide eyes on the idol Uxie's holding.

"Does anyone have any question beside the idols' whereabouts?" Uxie asked.

"How do we know the idols are real?" Turtonator asked, still staring at the idol in Uxie's hand.

Uxie flipped the idol over, showing everyone a metal plate engraved at the bottom. There were writing on it, "All idols contains these description. It explains how each idol would works. This should be enough proof for you all to know which idol is real."

Everyone nodded.

Azelf handed over the note to Yanmega, "I'd read it in private, so the others wouldn't snatch your prize." He nodded to Sableye, who was standing behind Yanmega, her hand reached out towards the note. She froze, caught on sight. Infernape picked her up and dropped her by her team. Sableye folded her arms in a huff.

Uxie looked back at the idol in his hands, only to discover it had vanished. "What?" He snapped his head around the place. "Where did it-" He stopped, seeing Komala's cuddling the idol instead of her pink stump. He and the contestants stared at her, wondering how did a sleeping Pokemon managed to snatch an idol from a legendary.

Frowning, he floated over to her and pried the idol from her. "I'll take that," he said, giving her her pink stump back to stop her from thrashing about. He looked at everyone again. "You can start your idol hunting tomorrow's morning. By then, all idols shall be hidden."

"Oh, and team captains," Azelf said, looking at team captains. "I forgot to mention that to establish your status as team captain, you three gets immunity in the next episode! So you don't have to worry about coming in last this season!"

Espeon smiled, while Yanmega and Quagsire cheered.

"Hold on!" Meowstic said as everyone looked at him. "How would you sort out the sleeping arrangement for tonight?"

"Since Yanmega had emerged victorious today," Uxie said. "It's fair that his team would gets first taste of the Golden Inn."

Octillery, Araquanid, and Yanmega cheered while the rest were either smiling or remained silent like Xatu and Drifblim.

"That's mean Mysterious Mesprit will spend their first night at the SIlver Cabin, while the Unique Uxie unfortunately has the Bronze Shack to themselves," Azelf said, gesturing to the other two accommodations.

The Mysterious Mesprit looked content and relief. The Unique Uxie, on the other hand, had negative reactions to it. They groaned, while Quagsire looked pleased.

"Our new home!" He said, grinning.

"We're aware you're all tired and just wanted to sit down and eat, but we have one more thing we need you all to do," Uxie said, now feeling the tiredness within everyone.

Octillery groaned, now wanting to check out the Golden Inn. "What it is?"

Azelf pointed to a giant PokeBall near the beach. "See that over there? That's the confessional! If you have anything you wanna say to get off your chest, but doesn't want anyone except the viewers to know, that's the best place to go! In alphabetical order, we want each of you to step inside and tell the viewers how you feel about today's event!"

* * *

 **Confessional: First Day Over and Done!**

(Inside the confessional, the room was spherical and white. There was a green comfy chair for the contestants to sit in)

 **Araquanid:** (He looked around the place) This confession room looks like pretty nice. (Lightly scratching the back of his head) I mean, I made a friend on the first day, so at least I'm doing better here already compared to back home. That's a consolation victory at least.

 **Bastiodon:** This show may not be the most idealist place for a star like me, but I'd like to believe I can outshine myself no matter where I'd go! I'm going to win Total Pokemon Alphabetical, and you all know it! (He flashed a grin and wink at the camera)

 **Chandelure:** Being brought up by my parents, I was taught to be a gentleman, and a gentleman I shall be as I'd face the game. (He showed a small smile) My plan is observe the competition, figuring out who's to trust, who should I try to eliminate. So far, I'd gained Furret's trust, and Quagsire could be a valuable teammate should he concentrate right. I will try to go under the radar, not bringing attention to myself. That plan wouldn't be easy, but I have faith in myself that I can achieve.

 **Drifblim:** In this game, there are two types of people. Those who win, and those who lose. I have no plans to be the former, and instead will turn one of the ladder into my pupil so that they can be. The weak must become the strong, and they can only do so with a helping hand. And I have decided that Hydreigon shall be my pupil.

 **Espeon:** (She smiled) Today was a wonderful start for me! I made a friend, and I've earned a spot as team captain! (She closed her eyes and pressed her paws) I know our Lord is on my side today. This proven that everything I'm doing is right so far. (She opened her eyes) And if there's troublesome running about, I'll do everything my power to vanish them from this island.

 **Furret:** (Her eyes shifted between the camera and the notepad in her paws) Social skills is not my best skills, but I've already made friends with Chandelure and Quagsire. (She stopped smiling) Who's on a different team. That doesn't mean we can't hang out, right? (She shrugged) I'm not sure. I don't go out much. (She smiled) But seeing so many different people here, I could walk out of this game with a manuscript!

 **Granball:** (She scowled) I want to be clear with everyone that I do NOT play around! Anyone who'd mess with me, is going to make the biggest mistake of their life! (She pointed her finger at the camera) You'd better watch your back, Blimp and Houseplant! My strategy? Finding pathetic weaklings and forces them to do whatever I'd say! (She slammed a fist to her hand) Or else!

 **Hydreigon:** (She was staring at the camera for over three minutes now) ...Drifblim was nice...To help me...I hope we'll become...Close friends.

 **Infernape:** (He exhaled smoke to the ceiling and then looked at the camera) The people here is insane. (He shrugged) Eh, my team's still crazier. It's not all bad, I've got myself an ally with a team captain, who retrieved a clue to a hidden idol. (He showed a smirk) Not bad for an old timer, huh?

 **Jellicent:** (She stared at the camera in silent and then she rubbed her eyes and let out a sign. She looked at the camera, only this time, her eyes looked normal) Okay, viewers, that whole me being a Nightmare Fuel? That was all an act. I have reasons for this. I watched similar shows and noticed how bizarre players usually lasted a long time. So, I decided to give a go and see how it'll turn out. I came _so_ close to completing my challenge! With everyone seemed to fall for it, I'll keep up the act for the time beings. I'm saying all this in case my friends are watching. (She chuckled) Doesn't want to freak them out.

 **Komala:** (Still snuggling to her pink stump, she yawned) I… can't help sleeping. (She rubbed her eyes) It's what I… do. (She yawned once more) Well… I can steal stuff… quite easily. (She fell asleep once more. She snored)

 **Leavanny:** (She frowned, arm folded and one leg crossed over) I'm still not happy being here, but complaining non-stop about it is not going to be productive. I'll try my best to claim the prize money. (She looked nervous, putting her other leg on the floor) But have you _seen_ the other contestants? One of them own ACTUAL weapons! (She took a deep breath and then scowled at the camera) To certain children, enjoy your freedom while you can. You'd better pray that a month detention is the _least_ of your worries.

 **Meowstic:** (He looked at the door handle underneath the camera. He leaned back, frowning) No lock. (He looked around the place) I can't run in here if I'm being chased by zombies. It'd be a death trap! As for the game, winning the money would benefit towards my house. I'm trying to turn it into a zombie bunker. And if the zombie apocalypse happens here, I want to make sure I don't get attached to others. It'd be harder to put them down.

 **Ninjask:** Not went off to a great start, but hey! (He smiled) There are other challenges coming up! I'm still in it! My grandpa taught me everything I need to know! (He became silent for a moment before showing a sheepish smile) Sure, I'm not great at it, but my family said I have awesome optimism! Maybe Meowstic could teach me his skills?

 **Octillery:** My parents brought me to this show because they thought it'd be a great "teaching experience" for me to become a better person. (She scoffed) Uh, hello? What's to teach about this place? (She looked annoyed) Maybe _they_ need "teaching experience". (Her face softened) That boy at the lake? He's seemed… (She wiggled her tentacle, gesturing Araquanid was alright) Eh. But so far, he's tolerable than some people I've met.

 **Purugly:** I looked at some of the boys today, and some looked _yummy_. (She gets into what appeared to be a seductive position) Hopefully, I'll be able to try out with one of them by the end of the week. Look out boys. (She winked at the camera) This MILF is gonna rocked your world.

 **Quagsire:** (Was now holding a large group of Ducklett close to him) I have an army of lucky ducks now.

 **Raichu:** (He groaned, looking quite green. There was a metal bucket beside him) How did I started off as a young Pikachu ready to become a lovable mascot, only to come here as an alcoholic has been on a reality show? (He groaned again and then stared at the camera in despair) My life's really fucked up isn't it?

 **Sableye:** (She giggled deviously, rubbing her hands together while looking around the place) This room is perfect for uncovering secrets! Now all I have to do is to find a place to hide in here. The others won't see it coming!

 **Turtonator:** (She looked around the place, checking to see if anyone could be hiding inside. When she believed the coast was clear, she faced the camera again) Just checking to be sure. (She let out a sigh) This isn't going so well. If you haven't notice by now, Vanilluxe and I are married. I don't want the others to know that because we'll be targeted right away! So we both agreed, well me mainly, that we should keep our relationship a secret for the time being. (She frowned) I'll have to do something about Sableye.

 **Ursaring:** (He smiled, waving at the camera) Hey, everybody! Ursaring is here! This game seemed be pretty darn good so far. That young lady, Espeon seemed to be a nice person to be with. I can see others who I could consider as friends. This should be fun! (He was silent for a moment) Now that I've done my bit here, it is grub time now?

 **Vanilluxe:** (He grinned at the camera) Hi, kids! Your mother and I miss you already! I know this would've been a lot more fun with you two with us. (He stopped smiling) It's not fun having to pretend to be strangers to each other. How could I possibly do that? My heart for Turtonator couldn't bear be away from her. (He smiled once more) I'm sure once she'd get settled into this game, we can enjoy each other's company again! Watch out for this power couple!

 **Wormadam:** I knew what I was getting myself into when I arrived on this island. First day here, and already an evildoer has been discovered. Granbull is a menace. As long as she's here, she'll keep bringing more harms to others. It's a good thing I'm her teammate. I'll keep her on her leash at all time. Still think I can't do it? (She leaned closer to the camera) Think again!

 **Xatu:** (She closed her eyes) This show will create many memories for everyone. What kind of memories am I referring to? (She opened her eyes and looked at the camera. She showed a small smirk) Spoiler.

 **Yanmega:** (He grinned) Back home, people called me Captain Yanmega! And I'm Captain Yanmega here! (He leaned closer to the camera) Don't you worry, Vespiquen, I'm gonna bring home the money and we can finally tie the knots! (He winked) Wish me luck, baby!

 **Zebstrika:** Well, at the end of the day, my chances are honestly looking up. Nobody seems to hate my guts exactly, and I think I have more than enough strength to be a valuable asset to the team. (He showed a small smile) I have a good feeling about my chances right now.

* * *

"It's about time," Uxie muttered, not happy about waiting for every contestant to make their confessional.

The double doors to the a different one story building were opened. Mesprit floated outside, smiling at the contestants. "Okay, guys, I know you all have a long wait, but the wait is over!" She gestured to the Mess Hall. "Go inside and have something to eat!"

"Finally!" Ursaring said, grinning.

The hosts watched the other contestants followed the bear Pokemon inside, all wanted to satisfy their hunger. Mesprit let out a sigh and smile. "Despite it's only been several hours, I love them already?"

"Even Granbull?" Uxie raised a brow at his sister's love for others.

She showed a sheepish grin, "Maybe she had a rough life?"

Azelf turned around, facing the camera, grinning. "Love them or not, you may wanna bring a box of tissue because next time, someone WILL be going home! The question is, who's gonna be out first?"

"Even I'd find it hard to predict," Uxie frowned, doesn't like not knowing the answer.

"Whoever that person be, I hope they won't be too bummed about becoming last," Mesprit said.

Uxie rolled his eyes. "Please, who isn't upset about their lowest rank performance?"

"Either way, this show is gonna be AWESOME!" Azelf said, pumping his fists in the air.

Uxie floated in front of Azelf. "So here are some questions for you viewers to be discussing about; can anyone survive a night with each other?"

Mesprit floated next to Uxie, smiling. "Will the team captains lead their teams to victory?"

Azelf pushed his siblings off-screen and grinned at the camera. "And who will be our winner? Find out next time on Total!"

Mesprit grabbed Azelf's arm, pulling him towards her. She wrapped her arms around her siblings like she did at the beginning of the episode. "Pokemon!" She smiled.

Uxie scowled. "Alphabetical," he said, lacking the enthusiasm as his siblings.

* * *

 **Unique Uxie** \- Chandelure, Jellicent, Komala, Ninjask, Purugly, Quagsire, Sableye, Turtonator.

 **Mysterious Mesprit** \- Bastiodon, Espeon, Furret, Granbull, Meowstic, Raichu, Ursaring, Vanilluxe, Wormadam.

 **Awesome Azelf** \- Araquanid, Drifblim, Hydreigon, Infernape, Leavanny, Octillery, Xatu, Yanmega, Zebstrika.

* * *

Woo! What a fantastic way to start off this story! Hopefully, this time, we'll go all the way!

Now usually, Fuzz and I discuss the author notes together, but he's currently sleeping after working so hard on this chapter and Delta's chapter. That guy is a machine! Give him more credits, folks! He's great!

As you can see in this chapter, a LOT of stuffs had changed! For better, I mean. So here's this story's cast list to help you understand this cast more!

 **STARRING**

 **Araquanid** (NEW CHARACTER), The Sci-Fi Loser, 18-years old

 **Bastiodon** , The Hardheaded Actor, 29-years old

 **Chandelure** , The Gentleman Reader, 22-years old

 **Drifblim,** (NEW CHARACTER), The Deadpan Brute, 26-years old

 **Espeon** , The Christian Fundamentalist, 26-years old

 **Furret** , The FanFic Writer, 21-years old

 **Granbull,** (NEW CHARACTER), The Malevolent Dog, 27-years old

 **Hydreigon,** (Rebooted Version), The Out-Of-It Ditz, 22-years old

 **Infernape** , (Rebooted Version), The Wise War Veteran, 67-years old

 **Jellicent** , (NEW CHARACTER), The Nightmare Fuel, 20-years old

 **Komala** , (NEW CHARACTER), The Odd Thief, 19-years old

 **Leavanny** , (Rebooted Version), The Strict Teacher, 46-years old

 **Meowstic** , (Rebooted Version of Marowak/Druddigon's personalities), The Zombie Fanatic, 27-years old

 **Ninjask** , The Wannabe Ninja, 19-years old

 **Octillery** , The Lazy Party Girl, 18-years old

 **Purugly** , The Ex-Porn Star, 37-years old

 **Quagsire** (NEW CHARACTER), The Confused Oddball, 21-years old

 **Raichu** (NEW CHARACTER), The Former Famous Mascot, 32-years old

 **Sableye** , The Secrets Spiller, 21-years old

 **Turtonator** (NEW CHARACTER), The Worrisome Wife, 36-years old

 **Ursaring** (Rebooted Version), The Haunted Country Singer, 31-years old

 **Vanilluxe** , The Cheerful Optimist Ice-Cream Husband, 35-years old

 **Wormadam** (Rebooted Version of Qwilfish), The Useless Cop, 31-years old

 **Xatu** , The Foreseeable Psychic, 53-years old

 **Yanmega** , The Enthusiast Pilot, 30-years old

 **Zebstrika** (Rebooted Version), The Innocent Bigot, 45-years old

I can tell this story is going to be a lot of fun to write! WE don't even know what will happens in this story, so we'll be riding with you guys on this crazy rollercoaster! Reviews would be MUCH appreciated! Let us know what do you think?

Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf: Review, everyone!

Azelf: Or I won't get famous! (Uxie and Mesprit slapped him in the head) OW!


	2. Battle Blockade!

_**Xebla :**_ Here it is! Another episode of TPA is here! So quick, huh?

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Well, not as quick as everything else I work on, but still quick.

 _ **Xebla :**_ As long as the episode turned out good, I'll take however long time this episode would take.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Anyways, let's get to it!

 **(Disclaimer)** **:** We do not own any of the Pokémon except their original personalities. Nor any content from Total Drama. Also, the alphabet theme is not OUR idea! It's originally created by Frank15, so give him credits for that.

* * *

 **Episode 2 - Battle Blockade!**

* * *

 _ **Day 1 - Introduction Day**_

The moonlight beamed down towards the island, marking the end of day one of a long competition. The hosts were at the dock, ready to do their first recaps.

Uxie nudged Azelf, "Okay moron, get to it. Your show, you're the one who gets this over with."

Azelf frowned at him, "Hey, as much as I'd love to have the fame all to myself, this is _our_ show!" He gestured between himself and his siblings.

Uxie rolled his eyes at this, "Yes, but I despise these types of things. They just feel like filler. Just get it over with already."

Mesprit cleared her throat and smiled at the camera, "Last time on Total Pokemon Alphabetical! Twenty six contestants of all ages from all over the world came here, ready to take on the competition for a chance to win a cool prize!"

Uxie muttered under his breath, "People most likely already knew that."

"It's called a recaps," Azelf said, rolling his eyes, "It's only our second episode!"

Uxie growled at him, "Oh please, you already know most people are just gonna stream this on Netflix once every episode is out."

"Well, if they wanna ruin their suspense, that's up to them," Mesprit said.

Azelf faced the camera once more, a bright smile on his face, "We explained the rules of the game and then gave them their first alphabetical challenge!"

"Still find it pathetic," Uxie muttered.

Azelf growled at him, before pointing a finger at him, hoping that it increased his intimidation factor, when it really just made him look like a child, "Now you listen here, stop ruining this for me!"

Uxie shrugged, before floating out of the camera's view, "Fine, I'll just stay quiet off-screen."

Mesprit sighed, "He wasn't kidding when he said this was going to be a long season."

Azelf scoffed, "Only if he'd make it that way," He smiled at the camera once more, "Our contestants had to gather the entire alphabet all over the island to claim some wicked rewards!"

"In the end, it was Yanmega, Espeon, and somehow Quagsire," Mesprit said, looking confused about the goofball's victory, "All managed to complete the challenge! Each of them were branded as team captains!"

"And as an added bonus, these guys get immunity in this episode, so none of them will get a chance of becoming first loser!" Azelf said, making a capital "L" gesture on his forehead.

"Unfortunately, we can't say the same for the remaining contestants," Mesprit said, staring at the dock. "In a few days time, one of them will be gone."

"Now we've gotta figure out who it is! What kinds of challenge will letter B _bring_?" Azelf asked.

"How will the contestants fare with their new teammates?" Mesprit asked before looking at his brother off-screen. "Uxie, you need to ask a question. It's traditional!"

Muttering can be heard under his breath as Uxie floated back onto the screen, looking even more annoyed than usual, "And can I put up with anyone here for another day? Short answer, it's highly unlikely."

Mesprit chuckled sheepishly, wrapping her arm around Uxie, preventing him from moving away from the camera. "Find on this next thrilling of Total!"

Azelf chuckled at Uxie's minor predicament, "Pokemon!"

Uxie stopped struggling and groaned, "Alphabetical," he said, showing the same enthusiasm in his previous recaps.

* * *

 **Bronze Shack**

Quagsire smiled in awe, as he happily extended his arms, "We're home!"

Home wouldn't be the first word it would pop out off his teammates' minds. They can describe it as many things, but not as a home. The others watched their team captain run inside. They remained at the edge of the doorway, staring into a room that would be their accommodation for the next couple of nights.

The place was empty. The wall was painted bronze, but paint was crumbling off easily. There was a window on the side, but you'd have to be a tall Pokemon to reach it. The only source of light was a dangling poor light bulb. They could've sworn they'd smelt something foul inside, but nobody can see the source of said smell. The ground was also made of hard, thick wood, as Quagsire began to run around in circles, the floor making creaking sounds with each step.

He then stopped to smile at his teammates, "So, who sleeps where? Because I call the corners."

His teammates exchanged glances, and then turned around and walked the other way.

"Nope!" Turtonator said, picking up the sleeping Komala.

"Absolutely not!" Chandelure said.

Jellicent remained silent, floating with them.

"I'll hide in anything, but not sleeping in anything," Sableye said, showing a deadpan look.

"Even _I_ have standards," Purugly muttered.

"At least I know where to go to sleep, if I'd remember it where," Ninjask said, rubbing his head.

Quagsire blinked at this, before flopping onto the ground, making nonexistent snow angels, "More for me then."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Turtonator:** (Still holding Komala in her arms, she stared at the camera, exasperated) Are the hosts really expecting us to sleep in there? We could gets exposed to bacteria and grow ill! (She narrowed her eyes) Shelter or not, I wouldn't let my kids sleep in there.

 **Komala:** (Snoring) It… smelt funny.

 **Turtonator:** (She stared down at her and then glared at the camera) Even the _sleeping_ Pokemon wouldn't want to sleep there!

 **Quagsire:** (He smiled happily at the camera, before clapping his hands) What a nice bunch for giving me the shack for myself. It was so cozy.

* * *

 **Silver Cabin (Girl's Side)**

The Mysterious Mesprit's reactions for their accommodation were much more well-received. The women went through the door on the east side and looked around their new room for the next couple of nights. It's like Mesprit said, the room looked like what you'd see in a good, quality camp. The wall was coated silver. There were three bunk beds. Two on the left side, one on the right, which stood next to a small heater. At the other end of the room, there was a door leading to a small bathroom, which would've only fit in one or two Pokemon at a time.

Espeon took a step forward, only to be shoved aside onto the porch. Wormadam glared at Granbull, who stomped into the cabin.

"Granbull, that is unacceptable! It's only fair that our team captain should take the first step into the cabin!"

"Oh, fuck you!" Granbull snapped at her before snapping her head around the room. She growled, "This place is a dump!" She clamped her jaw onto the nearest mattress and shook her head, spreading cottons all over the place.

"Granbull, no!" Wormadam shouted, hopping over to the aggressive dog, only to be sent flying into the wall.

Espeon stepped into the room and gasped, seeing the chaos already occurring before her eyes. "Granbull, that's enough!"

Granbull spat cottons from her mouth and snapped her at her, snarling, "Or what?!" She stomped over to her, grabbed her and then slammed her to the wall.

Espeon screamed, feeling pain on her back. She felt a hand on her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. As she coughed, her eyes looked into Granbull's and her heart beat began to rush at a faster speed.

Granbull snarled and growled at Espeon, "Captain or not, you're not in charge of this team! I AM!"

Suddenly, a new voice entered the room, "Am I interrupting something?"

Espeon and Granbull turned their heads to view the voice, and to their surprise, standing in the doorway was Drifblim, who deadpanned, "Or will I have to intervene?"

Still snaring, Granbull removed her hands from Espeon, dropping her onto the floor, coughing. "Just giving them a _warm_ welcome!" She sneered at him.

The blimp blinked, before floating closer to the dog, "...Strike two. Test it again, and you will suffer consequences quite dire."

Despite his warning, Granbull stomped over to him and began to stare him in the eyes, "I've faced worse."

Drifblim stared at her, not showing any emotion, "Are you sure?"

Espeon, Wormadam, and Furret, who were standing outside of the cabin the whole time, watched the pair, wondering what either of them would do next. Granbull's heavy breathing was getting erratic.

Drifblim continued to stare the mutt in the eyes, before facing the other ladies and bowed, "Sorry for intruding. If you have any more issues with her, let me know," and without another word said, he floated off to his own accommodation.

The other ladies looked at Granbull, who was still clenching her fists. She turned around and climbed onto the top bunk bed where she shredded the bottom bunk's mattress. She glared at her teammates. "I'm going to bed. Do _not_ disturb me!" She pulled her sheet over her and turned to face the wall.

Wormadam and Espeon glared at her, while Furret remained outside trembling in fear, not sure whether to sleep in the same building with a psycho. One thing all of them had in minds, though.

Granbull had to go soon. Really soon.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** (She curled up in her seat, trembling) I've faced several bullies in my school, but none of them were as scary as Granbull!

 **Wormadam:** (She glared at the camera) If that mutt thinks she's going to stay for another episode, she's got another thing coming!

 **Granbull:** (She growled, clenching her fists before making a tiny gesture with her thumb and finger) I was _this_ close to mauling that blimp into oblivion! I only didn't do it because I was tired. If I _really_ wanna show him up, I'll do it at the challenge! All that strike one and strike two crap is nothing but fucking crap! _I'm_ the strongest here, and I'll make sure nobody forgets that!

* * *

 **Silver Cabin (Boy's Side)**

Similarly to the girl's side, the decorations and look to the room before the boys look near identical. The same three bunk beds were there, the heater was sitting comfortably in a similar place, and a bathroom was at the end of the room. The only real difference were that there was only one window in the room which lacked curtains, and the bathroom was slightly larger due to there was also a urinal inside.

After placing his stuff down on the closest bunk to the door, Ursaring let out a long and boisterous yawn, before scratching the back of his head. Turning back to the others guys in the cabin, he said, "Well, night guys. Best that I turn in early, for energy and all."

And without another word, the bear collapsed onto the bottom bunk, almost collapsing the bed itself, as his snores already began to ring throughout the entire cabin. Similarly, Bastiodon approached a bunk separate from the bear, before stating, "If I wish to maintain my image, I'll have to turn in myself. And don't wake me up. I don't want to look less beautiful just because you people are too loud."

Smiling at Bastiodon, Vanilluxe approached him, "Don't worry, we'll make sure to keep as quiet as possible. I think most of us want to head to bed anyways, so nothing to worry about either way."

Rolling his eyes at the ice cream, Bastiodon quickly got onto the bottom bunk, before Vanilluxe floated past him towards a separate bunk, presumably to show the shield pokemon respect. Raichu on the other hand, didn't care too much about that, and promptly climbed up onto the bunk above Bastiodon, causing the celebrity to groan in his mind.

As this all happened though, Vanilluxe noticed the lack of a certain cat, "Hey guys, any of you seen Meowstic?"

Bastiodon groaned, "You promised you'd be quiet, so keep up your end of the bargain already."

The ice cream blushed from embarrassment at the statement, before nodding, "Sorry about that."

And from that point onward, it had been a peaceful night inside the Silver Cabin, as the contestants began to sleep the remainder of the night away. That is, with exception of Meowstic, who gave the building a suspicious glare, before walking out into the forest.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** (His eyes shift nervously around the confessional) Yeah, staying inside one of those buildings is basically asking to get eaten alive. I think instead I'll sleep out in here, until I make myself a proper shelter of course. After all, at least this place has camouflage in the fact that it smells too fresh for a zombie's liking.

 **Raichu:** (Groaned in annoyance) God dammit, why the hell would I allow myself to drink before this show? This is gonna kill me all night now. But whatever, I'm used to misery, I can deal with this I guess.

* * *

 **Golden Inn**

A striped ball rolled into a hole. Yanmega laughed, "Haha! Okay, it's official, we've gotta make sure we win every challenge from here on out!"

The Awesome Azelf have only been inside for an hour, and already accustomed to the Golden Inn. Like the other buildings based on ranking, the wall was colored in gold. The room most members were in was a mixture of living room and kitchen. It was luxurious as one could only imagine as their dream house. It had two long couches, three love seats, and a plasma-screen TV was hung above the fireplace. Along with this, there was a pool table near the large window, and an arcade machine by the stairs, which was on the left side of the room. The kitchen included an island desk, a top of the line oven, fridge, and freezer, and six cupboards.

Sitting on one of the loveseats, Leavanny sipped her tea and then looked at Infernape and Yanmega by the pool table, "It's rather astonishing how the producers were able to design this building with utmost professionalism," she said, looking around the room in small awe.

Hydreigon, whose mind seemed enraptured by the TV, soon muttered, "Budgets...Are con..Fusing."

"Isn't it supposed to be like this?" Zebstrika said, watching the TV on the couch, "Winning team can have fancy stuff?"

Araquanid shrugged nearby, currently not taking his eyes off the arcade machine, "Yeah, I guess. But I have to admit, this seems a little overwhelming."

"Who cares?" Yanmega said, grinning at his teammates, "If it means we can live like this often, then I say don't question it. Let's just enjoy the privileges."

Soon, a booming voice entered the room, "I care quite a bit actually. Conditions this nice will only cause negative effects on all of us as a unit. I wouldn't be surprised if after only a day of this, that a certain few will start acting like spoiled brats."

Turning to the voice, they noticed Drifblim stood at the entrance to the building, currently glancing around the room in disinterest.

"Where have you been?" Infernape asked, slamming a ball into a hole.

The blimp blinked, "I was teaching a certain dog that she should start watching herself around me. I have warned her twice now. I do not plan to warn her again."

Araquanid rose a brow at this, "Um, what do you mean by that?"

Drifblim turned to him with his usual blank stare, "You know exactly what I mean. I will not put up with someone like that while living here. Either she learns some matters, or I teach her some myself."

"Either way, it will not end well for her," Xatu said, standing in the kitchen, twirling a spoon inside her tea, "Her experiences in the past have brought about these traits of hers. Seems like the freedom of actual law on this island has given her the chance to do what she's always wished."

Drifblim blinked, before floating towards the stairs, "Good, a pathetic excuse of a living being like her doesn't deserve a happy ending. Whether or not I have to teach her that though is where things get interesting."

As the blimp disappeared from view, Araquanid shivered, "I can't be the only guy who's a little freaked out by that guy, right?"

"I've seen people like him in my days," Infernape said, puffing his cigar from his mouth, exhaling smokes towards the ceiling. He glanced at the spider Pokemon, "They'll do anything to protect those who can't protect themselves."

Hydreigon blinked, before a small smile formed on her face, "...He seems...Nice."

Araquanid continued to shiver, "Still...The dude kinda seems a little off. Wonder what happened to make the dude so distant?"

"He was raised only by his father," Xatu said, walking into the living room, feeling the stares towards her, "He was raised on the belief that the strong only exist to protect the weak. If he believes we are the weak, then he has little expectations for us, or he sees it as his duty to handle situations himself."

"Remind me to never piss him off," Zebstrika muttered, looking anxious.

Leavanny took a glance around the room once more. A thought occurred to her, realizing someone was unaccounted for. "Is Octillery still inside the hot tub?"

Standing closest to the door, Araquanid leaned his head and peered inside. The room was covered in gold tiles. The only thing in the room was an eight person hot tub, occupied by the blissful Octillery.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Xatu:** One mention of the hot tub was all Octillery needed to storm into the Golden Inn and scramble around until she found it and launched herself inside. (She chuckled and then stared off into spaces) Ah, these are good times.

 **Hydreigon:** (She blinked, before softly smiling) I believe...Drifblim has...A good heart. He wouldn't...Have helped...Me otherwise. If that is...His goal in life...It's rather selfless.

* * *

"Octillery, don't you think you've had enough in there?" Zebstrika shouted, leaning his head back so he can see Octillery from his seat.

"Hell no, baby!" Octillery shouted, opening her eyes and grinned, "This place is the _best!_ I'm totally never gonna leave this place!"

Leavanny walked over to the door, frowning, "But you cannot stay in the hot tub forever!"

"Sure I can! I'm a water type, duh!" Octillery gave the teacher a smug smile, "I'm MADE for this! Now shut the door! I'm gonna sleep in here!" She shifted her body, making herself comfortable to sleep.

"Absolutely not!" Leavanny stepped into the room, scowling at her teammate, "This is not your hot tub. You need to come out of there right _now_ ," she said, using a tone she always used on her troublemaking students.

Octillery looked annoyed, "You're ain't the boss of me, lady!"

Leavanny shook her head, appalled by Octillery's poor grammar, "The proper grammar is 'you aren't'! Have you ever even passed an English class, since that's very basic?"

The octopus scoffed, "When am I gonna use that in life?"

"During conversation! Writing! Those are vital to have when you've entered the real world!"

"Why write when I could use emojis? Here's one, an annoyed face with a middle finger." Octillery rolled her eyes and curled her tentacle, indicating she was making a middle finger.

Leavanny opened her mouth for more, when Infernape stepped into the room, looking almost as annoyed as the ladies. Araquanid himself entered soon after, seemingly interested in the water himself, but forcing himself to not jump inside instantly.

Infernape groaned, "Leavanny, just leave her here. She won't be hurting anybody just by sleeping in some water."

The nurturing Pokemon gasped, before growling, "But this isn't even hers! She-"

Araquanid interrupted, "In all fairness, this building isn't ours, and yet we're gonna be sleeping in here. I say it's fine."

Muttering something under her breath, Leavanny scoffed, as she walked out of the room. As this happened, Octillery's grin had noticeably returned to her face, and soon, Infernape left as well, feeling uncomfortable in a room full of water. As Araquanid was about to exit, he stole one last glance at the water.

The octopus had noticed, "Dude, you can get in too you know?"

The spider stopped at the door, before glancing at her, "Yeah, well you know, privacy and stuff. If you're gonna be sleeping in here, don't really-"

Octillery gave him a deadpan look, "Dude, it's a hot tub, you're some weird water spider, you already know this shit feels amazing. So get the hell in."

Blinking in response, Araquanid soon found himself in the water, relaxing to a similar level as Octillery. Soon, the two water types found themselves just enjoying the steaming water.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Araquanid:** (He smiled sheepishly at the camera) Honestly, I don't really have any friends at home anymore, so Octillery actually being pretty kind to me is just...Nice. Heck, considering how opposite our personalities are, it almost makes it nicer.

 **Octillery:** Eh, to be honest, while the guy is still mostly just okay, the main reason I allowed him in was because he got the lady out of there. Besides, he still isn't the worst company I could have. At least he knows how to actually enjoy himself in his weird way.

 **Leavanny:** (She was grumbling under her breath and had her arms folded) Somehow, it seems as if the kids here are even more disrespectful than the ones who actually sent me onto this awful show. Octillery's a spoiled brat, and Araquanid lacks so much of a spine he'll probably just go along with whatever she says. The sooner I rid this island of those two, the sooner I might actually be able to not hate this island.

* * *

 _ **Day 2 - Relaxation Day**_

* * *

 **Forest**

The sun had just reached above the sea, bringing light onto the island. Somewhere deep in the forest, Turtonator was passing through, always looking around her surroundings, making sure she wasn't followed.

Turtonator stopped, thinking she saw something moving and looked up, seeing Yanmega flying overhead. He disappeared just as soon as he appeared. She groaned.

"Of course, he has a clue," Her eyes widened, as an idea occurred to her, "I'll just follow him! Anywhere he doesn't find it, I know where to not go!" She looked ahead and slumped her shoulders, walking in a direction where Yanmega was last seen, "Just wish he wasn't so fast."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Turtonator:** I suppose one of the _very_ few positive sides to sleeping outside is that I can get up and look for the idols without my team wondering where I am. I have to find at least one idol so I can secure myself in this game! But I don't want to find too many, though. That would makes me a bigger threat than I'd like to be. I'll relax as soon as I get my hand on an idol. (She sniffed and then looked at something on the floor and grimaced) Ugh! Why is vomit splattered all over the floor? (She pinched her fingers on the bridge of her nose and sighed) I'd better clean this up before anyone spoils their appetite.

 **Yanmega:** Last night, Infernape and I agreed that I should search for an idol first thing in the morning. No luck finding one, but this should help me find one sooner. (He pulled the same note he won yesterday. He started reading) It says, _"Search where you find nature at it's most conserved."_ Honestly have no idea what that means, but I'm just gonna presume the forest is my best option right now. (He sniffed and raised a brow) Why do I smell something that was just cleaned up so soon?

* * *

 **Golden Inn**

Snores echoed the hot tub room, as both water Pokemon were still sleeping inside the hot tub. As they slept inside the tub, which still was going, Araquanid began to drowsily open his eyes, "Man...That was actually one of the best naps I've had in my life."

He looked around the room, before his eyes widened, "...What the?"

Octillery seemed to snore in a pattern. She started snoring, before letting out several booming noises, sounding like what would happen if you pressed down hard on an air horn. Suddenly, she stopped, slowly opening her eyes. Blinking, she rubbed her eyes and looked around, remembering she was still inside a hot tub. A small smile appeared on her face, "Yep, definitely not a dream…"

Araquanid's face went red upon noticing Octillery, and along with that, upon realizing he was in the hot tub, "Wait, did I fall asleep in here?"

"We both agreed to sleep here to get back at others," Octillery said, stretching her tentacles, causing her to groan, "Totally worth it."

The spider scratched his head in confusion, "Huh, I don't remember saying that. Guess the water sorta fried my brain a little or something."

The octopus Pokemon shrugged, "Hey, hot tub is totally good for ya. It enters your core, and helps you to enter your _chill_ mode."

Araquanid blinked, "...I think what you just described were drugs. But good point regardless. Guess my mind's just blanking or something."

"Sometimes, it's good to empty your mind. You don't wanna have too much junk in your mind, or else you'll explode," She slammed her tentacles onto the water to emphasize it.

The spider's body began to relax again, "You make a good point. Honestly, maybe I should just enjoy this. Sure as hell beats hanging out in a basement and getting high to forget that kinda thing."

Octillery raised a brow, "You get high too? With what?"

Araquanid smiled, "Yeah, it's sorta like the closest thing to a medicine I have. Usually I just use weed or mash up some painkillers, but I've tried my hand at a few other things. I'll basically do anything just to relax a little."

"If you wanna, I could hit you up with my White Junk later," Octillery said, smirking, "Trust me, one sniff of it and you'll be jerking off before you know it!"

The spider's eyes widened for a moment, before smiling, "Honestly, I might actually take you up on that offer. Beats just using my left hand probably."

She leaned forward, whispering into his ear, "We can't do it in public, though. I don't wanna risk getting caught and getting my stash taken away."

The spider flinched from the thought, "Yeah, makes sense. That'd probably suck. That and if the cameras caught you with it, you could get in trouble with your family too, if they're against that type of thing."

Octillery scoffed, "What my family won't know ain't gonna hurt them. Beside, they don't care that much about me anyways, unless I'd aced a test on geometry shit."

Araquanid's expression changed to that of worry, "Oh, okay then," he then realized something, "Crap, just realized I should probably go eat something. If I don't, I'll sorta be uncomfortable all day."

"We have a fridge stocked full of awesome food, we'll just go there and get what we need," the octopus said with a smile.

Araquanid smiled, "Cool. Besides, since it might be early, I doubt most of the others will be awake, so more for us I guess."

Octillery nodded, "Yeah!" She climbed out of the hot tub and then turned around and squirt inks onto the side. "Let me claim this first!"

The spider blushed, before turning his head, "Personally would have preferred if you let me leave the room first."

"It's just ink, not cum," Octillery said.

The Araquanid instantly stood up, "Okay then, moving on from this conversation. Let's grab breakfast."

"'Kay," she said before stepping back, smiling at her poorly made name she wrote on the side of the hot tub.

As the two left the room, they passed through the living room, where a particular blimp floated slightly above the couch, his eyes wide open and staring at a turned off TV-screen.

Both water Pokemon stopped, seeing the huge Pokemon, "Dude, how long have you been up?" Octillery asked.

Drifblim did not turn to stare at the two, as he said, "I don't sleep. It's for the weak."

Araquanid rose a brow, "Wait, isn't sleep sorta required for most people to...You know, live?"

The blimp did not respond, as he continued to stare at the screen in silence, not even acknowledging the two were there now.

"Have you just been staring at the TV _all_ night?" Octillery asked, her usually half-closed eyes widened.

Drifblim blinked, "Yes."

Araquanid shivered, "Okay, no offense and all, but that's kinda creepy."

The ghost turned to him, "I do not care. Now leave this room if you have no reason being here."

Octillery quickly squirmed over to the kitchen side, opening a huge fridge. She snagged several different foods from inside, before just as quickly making her way back into the hot tub room. Araquanid himself followed, a terrified look on his face from the blimp.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Araquanid:** (The spider shivered in the confessional for a moment, before relaxing a bit) Okay, that was a little weird. But anyways, I have to say, I actually think as far as potential friends go, Octillery's my best chance at having one. We're both around the same age, seem to both be into certain interests, and honestly, she's just nice to be around. (A blush appeared on his face) And yet this is usually where I fuck up, so...Wish me luck I guess.

 **Octillery:** Just so we're totally clear, that hot tub is mine now! Wrinkled people aren't allowed! Gotta admit, I also didn't think I'd find another person who likes to get high. Araquanid may be the only guy that I could see myself actually hanging out with. He wouldn't be my first choice, but given the options on my team... (She shuddered) I'll take what I can get.

* * *

 **Silver Cabin**

As the day became brighter, Vanilluxe floated out of the cabin, letting out two yawns, as he began to smile, "Good morning, island! Seems like today is going to be another beautiful day." Looking around the campground, his grin widened, "We sure are lucky to be chosen for this."

He heard a door creak open, and turned, seeing Furret tiptoeing onto the porch. He grinned at her, "Good morning."

Furret jumped and gripped onto her notepad, staring at Vanilluxe, eyes widened, "M-morning…"

"Did you have a nice sleep?" Vanilluxe floated over to her, speaking quieter since the door was open.

Furret gave him a short nod, and then slowly shut the door. She scurried out onto the porch and headed for the confessional. Vanilluxe frowned.

"Furret looked unrested just as my kids are on Christmas Eve," His usual grin returned, "Maybe she's just so excited about the competition. I know I am."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** (She rubbed her eyes) I barely got any sleep last night, knowing there's a psycho sleeping several feet from me. I kept thinking she was going to wake me up, only to be mauled to death! (She shuddered) I'm thinking of asking my teammates to throw the next challenge. Every minute being on the same island as that dog will make the game worse.

* * *

Vanilluxe heard a door slam opened and turned, seeing Granbull stomping onto the porch. He gave her two grins, "Good morning!"

The dog Pokemon snarled at him, and then flipped him off. She stomped out of the porch, heading towards the forest. Halfway across the campground, Granbull snapped her head behind her, shaking her fist at Vanilluxe, " _STOP STARING AT ME!_ "

Vanilluxe flinched, and looked away as she requested.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Vanilluxe:** Granbull is awfully aggressive. I wonder if she's always like this. Maybe I could help her? (He grinned) I know! I'll hang out with her so she can grow more comfortable around me, and then we'll both become friends, and Granbull can become a nicer person. You know what they say, an enemy is a friend you just haven't made yet.

 **Granbull:** (She groaned as she stretched) God… That was some damn fine sleep. (She narrowed her eyes at the camera) All the more better if my team is terrified. My plan for this game is to terrorise my teammates and make them do anything I want! But to make it work, I've gotta get rid of that stupid blimp! I'm not scared if that's what you think! It's to make an example of everyone. Nobody is safe from _me_! (She jabbed a thumb at herself)

* * *

 **Forest**

Jellicent looked around the deep forest with lively eyes. "Finding the idols would be hard, but I shouldn't back down from the challenge," she muttered. "They'll have to be found at some point, otherwise it wouldn't serve its purpose."

She stopped talking to herself, hearing scraping ahead. Her eyes became vacant once more, returning to her Nightmare Fuel act. She resumed moving until she found the source of the noises. She saw Meowstic dragging several planks. He kept checking his surroundings. She remained hidden, wondering what the psychic Pokemon was doing.

Meowstic stopped suddenly, and twitched his ears and then snapped his head at Jellicent, who remained still, but would've been surprised if she hadn't had practice.

"What are you doing here?" Meowstic asked, dropping all but one plank onto the ground.

Jellicent stared at him.

Meowstic narrowed his eyes at her, albeit felt his heart beating faster. He aimed his plank at her, "I don't know what kind of Pokemon you are, but I don't trust you!"

Jellicent remained staring.

"Pokemon or not, so far you're the closest to acting like a zombie! Cool, but dangerous! So heed my warnings! If you try to surprise attack me while I walk away, I _won't_ hesitate to retaliate! Got it?"

Seeing Jellicent still showed no reaction, he lowered his plank. He used his telekinesis to pick up his other planks and then walked away, occasionally glancing behind him at Jellicent, until she disappeared from his sight. He shuddered a bit. "Yep, gotta keep an eye on that ghost."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** Jellicent is one creepy person! But aren't all ghosts really? The real question is, who _is_ she? Is she an actual zombie? She doesn't looks like she wants to eat me, but she could be studying my every move! There are a _lot_ of different zombies across the media! And smart zombies are no different!

 **Jellicent:** I may have to keep an eye on that Pokemon. From what I've heard, he owns weapons. Dangerous weapons. (She raised a brow at the camera) But why would Meowstic need it? We all have moves that work just as well.

* * *

 **Silver Cabin**

There were many things that could give your day a terrible start. Nightmares, stress, starvation, dehydration, and finding out your favourite show gets cancelled. For the groaning electric mouse on the swinging bench however, it was a bad hangover. Raichu gripped his head, feeling the throbbing pain pulsing. Feeling dizzy, he attempted to get off the bench, only to fall forward and land on his front. He groaned.

"Today's gonna sucks," he said.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Raichu:** (He had one paw gripping his head, while the other was rubbing his eyes) I'm still trying to figure out why I decided to join this show. Didn't I want to escape fame? (He slumped against his seat) I don't know. At this point, I don't know what I wanna do except drink. I- (He stopped, perking his ears, as he heard scratching closeby. He looked around, only to find no one there. He looked back at the camera, raising a brow) What the hell was that?

* * *

Raichu stumbled out of the confessional, and walked around the small building, only to discover Sableye scratching against the surface, albeit not making good progress. He gave her an an uncaring glare, "What are you doing?"

Sableye yelped in surprise and snapped her head at the electric mouse. She calmed down upon seeing him, "Oh, it's Raichu, isn't it?"

"Yep," he said, deadpanned, "The drunkard has-been is here."

"Has-been?" Sableye said, her gem eyes gleamed. She pulled out her notepad and looked at him, "Care to elaborate on that?"

"I'm just one of those former famous people who rose to the top, only for fame to hit you hard and send you down a life long coma."

"You'll have to be more specific than that," Sableye said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Does it matter? It's done! What I used to be doesn't matter anymore. No one will want to hire me again, and quite frankly, I don't give a fuck about it."

Raichu was about to leave, only for Sableye's hand to press him against his chest, stopping him. He saw her giving him a glare.

"It's _does_ matter, now that you've revealed your background a little. I'm not going anywhere until you give me the answer."

He returned a glare, "The answer? Take a guess!"

Sableye tapped her chin, thinking back on all the newspapers she read for the past years, scrambling her mind to find her answer, "Are you that Raichu who had a sex change?"

"No."

"What about the one who photobombed wedding photos?"

"No," Raichu said, looking more irritated.

"Crashing a car into a music studio and then recorded a hit single with another celebrity?"

"N-" He stopped, tapping his head, looking curious, "Actually, I'm not sure about that one," He reverted to his deadpan self, "But wow, I guess I must be more of a has-been sooner than I expected."

"Sooner?" Sableye's eyes widened, thinking back to the recent newspaper over the last three months, and then finally found her answer. She gasped and pointed at him, "You're that Pikachu who evolved after twenty years of being our mascot!"

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Give her a prize!" Raichu spoke in a sarcastic tone, giving the camera a deadpan look.

"Holy shit!" She said, writing down new information onto her notepad. She looked back at him, giving him a toothy grin, "What are you doing here on this show?"

Raichu shrugged, "You tell me. I don't even remember how did I got chosen to compete."

"The producers must've known who you are and brought you here because they wanted a well-known celebrity competing!"

The electric mouse scoffed, "'Well-known? I can't be that well known anymore if it took you that long to figure it out."

"Now Raichu, after twenty years of being our beloved mascot, why did you decide to evolve?" Sableye asked, looking a bit annoyed at Raichu's insult.

Raichu glared at her, knowing he received this question every day. "I'll tell you what I told everyone else; go suck a dick!"

He stomped away and groaned, feeling the throbbing pain in his head had returned. Sableye glared at him.

"You know I will tell everyone about you, right?" She shouted at him.

Raichu turned around and gave her another glare, but now walking backward, "Go ahead! I'm sure everyone would love to meet their _hero_ of the last two decad-WA!" He tripped and fell backward, landing on the grass.

"I will!" Sableye ran towards the Mess Hall, cackling all the way.

Still lying on the ground, Raichu groaned and then his face reverted to deadpan once more, "Once again, Pika- I mean, Raichu, you've gotten yourself in a pile of shit on top of another pile of shit."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** (She cackled and rubbed her hands together) I told everyone about Raichu! Reactions will be created! One secret down, a LOAD more to go!

* * *

 **Mess Hall**

Several contestants were inside the building, waiting for their first breakfast of the season. The interior was bright, especially with sunlight shining through a large window which took over the whole left side of the Mess Hall. The right side, however, was filled with contestants' portraits. They were together depending on which team they were in. There were placements underneath them, but it was empty as no one was eliminated…For now. There were three long metal tables, more than enough for each team.

In a rare time, Infernape wasn't seen without his cigar as he looked at the variety of breakfast food before him. He looked up, seeing Mesprit's smiling at him.

"What would you like to have?" She asked.

"I'll have four bacon, tomato berries, two fried eggs, and three sausages, please?" Infernape said.

"Sure things!" Mesprit said, placing foods Infernape requested onto his plate and then gave it to him. "Enjoy your breakfast!"

Infernape gave her a nod, "Thanks," He walked away, heading over to his seat when he saw Drifblim and Hydreigon sitting nearby.

Currently, the blimp was telling her something, "Now, if you wish to remain focused on a certain line of speech, you must learn to clear your head of all undesired thoughts first."

The dragon blinked, "What...Do you...Mean?"

Drifblim blinked, "For example, you have three heads, but it seems like you all have different trains of thought that cause these mix ups in feelings. Is there by chance a reason you all don't think the same?"

Hydreigon blinked, before saying, "I...Wish to...Not...Discuss...That with you."

The blimp nodded, "I won't force you to tell me anything. But in order to get us past this annoyance, it's required that you must tell me at some point."

Infernape stepped over to them and sat next to Drifblim. He gave them a nod, "Hey, Drifblim, can we talks for a second?" He glanced at Hydreigon, "Alone?"

The blimp blinked before turning to the dragon, "Your choice."

Hydreigon stared off into space for a moment, before blushing slightly in embarrassment, "Oh...Of course...I apologize."

She then got up from the table, and flew over to another table, as she waited for the two to finish.

Seeing he's got some sort of privacy, Infernape looked at Drifblim, "I'll get to the point, after your actions yesterday, I feel like we could work together," He whispered, "An alliance with me and Yanmega?"

The blimp quickly said, "No."

Infernape was taken aback by his quick reply, but maintained his cool to prevent himself from giving himself away to the others, "Okay then. Any reason why?"

Drifblim stared him in the eyes, "To put it simply, I don't think _you_ have proven to be worth my time. Yanmega proved it when he won yesterday. Hydreigon earned it by being the weakest link, and me wishing to make her strong. You have done nothing."

Infernape frowned, "It's only been one day. I may need time to prove it to ya," he said before engulfing a mouthful of tamato berries.

Drifblim's look did not subside, "Then you must also wait for me to join your alliance. I only work with a select few types of pokemon. I will not change that because of a lack of time."

The fire monkey looked annoyed, but nodded, "Fine. As long as you don't speak up about me and Yanmega, then we have nothing left to discuss on that topic."

Drifblim nodded, before floating back over to Hydreigon, as the two began to discuss something Infernape couldn't hear. As he left the building though, he couldn't help but launch a small glare at the blimp, before exiting.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Infernape:** (Lighting his cigar with his finger, he puffed on his smokes and sighed) So much for a new ally. (He glared at the camera) Which mean we may have to get rid of him sooner.

 **Drifblim:** (He gave the camera an uninterested look) Infernape is nothing to me, and he will continue to be so until I decide he has made himself of some use. Until then, he is one of my primary targets for elimination.

 **Hydreigon:** (She smiled at the camera) Drifblim...Is kind to...Try and...Help me. But...I do wish...To keep my...Secrets.

* * *

As Infernape left the mess hall though, a certain water fish entered, his Ducklett, Jojo, currently resting on his shoulder, as he approached Mesprit, letting out a tired moan, before smiling at her with half-open eyes, "Good morning."

Mesprit looked up and gave him a sympathetic smile, "Morning. How was your first night in the Bronze Shack?"

Quagsire smiled, "It was really nice. The others for some reason didn't sleep in there, but I loved it. I even moved some of the wild Pokemon from across the island into there with me so they could sleep somewhere."

Mesprit's eyes widened, "Really? How many did you bring here?"

He smiled, "Oh, besides Jojo here," the Ducklett quacked, "I moved in some Bidoof, a Zigzagoon, an Ursaring, a-"

"Okay, I get it!" Mesprit said, chuckling. "I guess despite only two days passing, I shouldn't be surprised. I'm sure the next losing team would be happy to have company."

Quagsire nodded, "I hope so. Terrance in particular is kinda territorial, so I don't think he'll leave. Anyways, I'll just take whatever for breakfast. I'm not very picky."

Mesprit smiled and placed eggs, sausages, toasts, and oran berries onto his plate and then gave it to him, "Enjoy your breakfast!"

Quagsire bowed to the hostess, before making his way out of the mess hall quickly, as Mesprit could hear him in the distance screaming towards the Bronze Shack, "Everyone, I brought back breakfast! Come and get it!"

Mesprit giggled at Quagsire's funny personality.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Quagsire:** (He was surrounded on all sides by a large amount of fluffy Pokemon) I'm in heaven. But anyways, I actually really look up to Mesprit. She seems so calm and happy, and yet she has such a large role in keeping all of us well fed. It really shows the kind of great person she is.

 **Mesprit:** As an Emotion Pokemon, people acknowledge me as the mother of all legendaries. Whenever people feel upset, I get upset. So it's my job to make everyone happy as much as I can! And be there for them whenever they need comfort. Though, I can't tell them anything that happens in this game since it would "ruin" the surprise. (She looked sad) Hopefully, there won't be some sort of misunderstanding where only the viewers and us know the truth. It'd be tragic seeing good people turning bad.

* * *

 _ **Day 3 - Challenge Day**_

* * *

 **Beach**

Every contestant was anxious as the day passed by, knowing they'd be facing the next challenge soon. The Mysterious Mesprits were at the beach, discussing about a certain member who was absent for good reasons.

"Alright, everyone," Wormadam said to her teammates, "We all know why we're here!"

"I didn't!" Bastiodon said, looking annoyed, "You just told us to come here without saying another word!"

"I think you should've paid attention more, man," Ursaring said, looking at the actor, who snapped his head at him.

"Hey, I'm a great listener! How do you think every movie I was in turned out fantastic?"

Furret yawned ,and then rubbed her tired eyes, "I still don't know you. I don't think I've seen any of your movies."

"Oh come on!" Bastiodon shouted, making Furret flinch from his loud voice.

"LISTEN!" Espeon shouted. She remained silent for a few seconds, waiting for everyone to look at her, "We're here because of a certain demon on our team - Granbull."

"She gives bitch a new definition," Raichu said.

Despite being tired, Furret trembled, "I've never gotten any good sleep since she's several feet from me! And I'm pretty sure I saw her glaring at me in a middle of the night!"

Ursaring gave her a sympathetic look and shook his head, "That's a terrible thing to do to good folks like that."

"That's why we're all here," Espeon said, looking at her teammates, "Given our common hatred and fear of Granbull, I feel in our best interest that we should throw the next challenge so we can eliminate her."

"WHAT?!" Bastiodon shouted, eyes widened, "And sleep in that disgusting Bronze Shack? With WILD Pokemon? Forget it!"

"It's not a big deal," Meowstic said, shrugging, "I saw several members of the Unique Uxie sleeping outside. I did too, so that didn't do me any harm."

"So that's why you didn't come to bed," Ursaring said to himself.

"Outside, inside, last place isn't an option!" Bastiodon said, glaring at everyone.

Wormadam hopped over to him, "It's either that, or spending another couple of days being terrorized by Granbull, and possibly ruining your face."

Bastiodon gasped and rubbed his face, "Not my face! Okay, scratch that! Let's send that bitch back to the slammer!"

The team murmured in agreement, most of them anyways. Vanilluxe floated forward, looking anxious, "Wait a minute, everyone. Hatred and fear may be over exaggerating. I think she just needs time to adapt to this place. And by then, she could starts warming up to us."

"Are you kidding me?" Wormadam said, staring the ice-cream Pokemon wide eye behind her shades, "Don't you remember what she did to you yesterday?"

* * *

 **Flashback:**

 _Vanilluxe floated around in the forest, looking for someone. A moment later, he stopped, seeing Granbull tearing a bush apart. He smiled and floated over to her, "Hi, Granbull."_

 _Granbull jumped and snapped her head at him, snarling, "What the fuck do you want?"_

" _I just want to let you know that if you ever need a friend to talk about stuff and all, I'm here for you," Vanilluxe said, grinning at her._

 _Granbull stopped snarling and stared at him, thinking about what he's just said._

 _Seeing it as a good sign, Vanilluxe opened his mouths to speak more, only for Granbull to roar and launch herself at him, knocking them off-screen. He screamed as the sound of scratching and crunching were heard._

* * *

 **Beach**

Vanilluxe gave her sheepish grins, "It took her five seconds before she started attacking me. I'd call that progress."

"A little too late for improvement, don't you think?" Raichu gave him a deadpan look.

"He's right, Vanilluxe," Espeon said, "Even if she makes any good improvement, it's too late. None of us can forget her actions during the course of the past two days. Can you imagine how much chaos this island will be infected with if she stays?"

"I think I would've quit by then…" Furret said, still trembling. Ursaring placed a claw on her back, but she flinched and took a step away from him.

Vanilluxe stopped smiling and looked at everyone. Only three days had passed, but each of them looked tired and frightened, some more so than others. "But…Couldn't we give her a benefit of doubt? I feel like voting her off right away would only make things worse for her."

"Vanilluxe, if my fascination in zombie media has taught me anything, it's that nobody's born evil. Only made. We became who we are by experiences whether it's good or bad. Some people went through serious shit-"

"Language," Espeon said.

Meowstic stared at her, before resuming, "And still turn out for better," He narrowed his eyes and his tone became darker, "But other people like Granbull? She's too far gone, man. As far as we're concerned, she's the walking dead."

Vanilluxe became silent.

Espeon walked over to him and placed a paw on him, "You're a wonderful man, Vanilluxe. We need more kind-hearted people like you in this world, but Granbull cannot be saved."

Vanilluxe remained silent, but looking like he could become depressed any moment. He sighed.

"Okay?" Espeon asked.

Vanilluxe looked at her and gave her a tiny nod.

"If we're gonna do this, how does it works?" Bastiodon asked.

"I doubt the hosts would wants us to forfeit, so we may have to do something different," Wormadam said.

"Well, how about-" Raichu said.

As the team discussed on how to handle the next challenge, little do they know, someone was hiding behind a rock, eavesdropping on them. Purugly showed a smirk and walked away before anyone knew she was there.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Purugly:** (She smirked) I'm not Sableye, but this information could be _extremely_ useful to know…

 **Bastiodon:** Spending my time sleeping outside outdoor or in the Bronze Shack sounds terrible. But the idea of Granbull's mauling my beautiful body is even worse! Screw the challenge! Bring on the votes!

 **Ursaring:** (He lightly strummed his guitar) Honestly, I feel a little bad for Furret. Of our entire team, she's definitely taken Granbull's harassment the worst. I don't think the poor girl's used to this kind of abuse. Maybe during the challenge today, I could probably try to cheer her up a bit. But admittedly, I'm not actually the greatest at trying to make others feel better while under pressure from myself...If that makes sense.

 **Espeon:** Coming into this competition, I knew I may face demons. But I never realized it'd be so soon. (She glared at the camera) As soon as Granbull leaves the island, the more at peace everyone will be!

* * *

 **Forest**

Flying just above the trees, Yanmega had begun to grow annoyed at his surroundings. Despite his hint supposedly being meant to help him find one of the idols, it had proven to basically be all but useless. While it had helped him limit it down to most likely being within the forest, it had done little else but cause him a serious headache.

He stopped and looked around, "Where the hell can I find that idol?" he muttered, "How can you find one on this island?" He took a deep breath, "Stay frosty, man. It's ain't over until a fat lady sings."

However, as if on cue, he began to heard some humming below him. Looking down, he saw Purugly humming to herself in a satisfied manner. Blinking to himself, he said, "Okay, just going to ignore myself now."

He started flying again, determined to find an idol before the challenge started. He only flew for a minute before halting, seeing something that was out of place for the forest. He lowered himself close to the ground and gasped.

Sitting within several huge roots, Komala was sleeping, but it wasn't her that made Yanmega gasped. It was what she was clinging to. It was a small wooden sculpture. On top of the podium were two different coloured hands exchanging a handshake.

Komala was now the first contestant of the season to find an idol.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Yanmega:** (He looked baffled) How the hell did a little sleeping koala manage to find the idol WITHOUT the clue?! (He shook his head) Cool it, man. You can still get your hands on it! I've just gotta make sure I don't disturb her.

 **Komala:** (She let out a small yawn) ...I like wooden objects. I feel naturally drawn to them. They're comfortable.

* * *

Yanmega hovered closer to Komala, giving her a smile, "Hey, little buddy," he said, keeping his voice soft, "Congrats on finding an idol. You coloured me surprised! But here's a problem," He showed a small note to her, "I won this at the last challenge, so technically, this is my idol. You don't seem to be too bothered with it. Can I please have it?"

Komala remained silent, before letting out a yawn and turning around, facing away from the dragonfly Pokemon.

Yanmega rose a brow and then lifted her into his legs. He gripped onto the idol Komala was holding, "I'll be taking that," He tugged on the idol from her, only to be unsuccessful. He tugged harder, but still remained unsuccessful. He frowned, "Hey, come on now, we can find yourself another piece of log for you to hug," He tugged even harder, but like last time, Komala kept her grips on it, "You just need to let go."

Komala snored, "...No."

Getting impatient, Yanmega let go of Komala, but kept his grips on the idol. He shook the idol a bit, but Komala hadn't moved an inch. He shook harder, but again, Komala remained still. He shook her faster to the point she became a blur. Several seconds later, he stopped and sighed, seeing Komala still clinging onto the idol.

"Guess we're heading back together, huh?" He would've chuckle at the bizarre situation if he hadn't noticed something about Komala. She appeared to be swollen up, like someone implanted a hose inside her and pumped her up like a balloon. He raised a brow at this until a thought occurred to him. He's never seen a Komala did this, but he had seen it with several Pokemon.

Little did he knew, every time he shook Komala, she used Stockpile. And since the pilot had done it several times, she reached her maximum power.

Realizing this, Yanmega widened his eyes in horror and was just about to let go of her, when Komala opened her mouth. Engulfed in a maximum power of Spit Up, Yanmega was sent flying, screaming as he was sent towards the other end of the forest. Komala landed on the ground, and began to snore, as if Yanmega had never shown up at all.

* * *

Somewhere in the different of the forest, it was peaceful and calm, as the winds were gently blowing through the leaves of the trees, and grass swayed from the ground. But they weren't alone. In the clearing, there was a person floating above a medium sized tree stump. That person was Ninjask. His eyes were closed as he attempted to find his inner peace. His arms were moving as if they were being replaced by snakes, as he moved them as if his bones were made out of jelly, swaying just as much as the grass. He felt the winds blowing into his face as he continued what he was doing…Until his mind drifted off to a song; a song that he would play in his head every time he was alone in a peaceful forest. He began to murmur the lyrics.

" _Oh simple thing, where have you gone?"_

" _I'm getting old and I need something to rely on…"_

 _"So tell me when you're gonna let me in…"_

 _"I'm getting tired I need somewhere to begin…"_

"Oh, wait!" Ninjask exclaimed, as he suddenly stopped everything he was doing. He then placed a hand on his head in frustration. "Oh man, I did it again…But man, I love that song. It feels perfect to sing it in a place like this. But I'm never gonna gonna find my inner peace if I keep doing that!"

He took a deep breath and smiled. "Oh well, I think that'll do for today. Better head back to the campground."

He started flying back slowly, not wanting to hit the branches like yesterday. His eyes shifted around the area, seeing if he had missed where the idols could be, but no luck. He was about to reach the edge of the campground when he flew directly into the tobacco smokes.

"Infernape, _'cough'_ don't you ever think about _'cough'_ quitting smoking?" He coughed, his eyes were watering a bit from the smoke.

"Oh, I apologise, Ninjask."

Wait… Infernape had a gruffly deep old voice, but this one was young, with a sophisticated tint to it. Ninjask moved closer to find out who the smoker was. He looked to his right and his eyes widened. Floating by a tree, Chandelure was wearing navy blue reading glasses. A cigar and black pen were held up by his telekinesis, with him occasionally taking a puff from it, and a journal sat in front of him.

Ninjask gasped, "Chandelure? I didn't know you smoked."

"I'd started smoking when I was nineteen because I've seen my father smoke cigars every time he's either reading and/or writing a book and I want to follow in his footsteps,"

Ninjask watched Chandelure's cigar glowed bright purple and it became slightly smaller, indicating he was puffing on it.

"However, I'm not like any teenagers you would see smoking just because it's _cool_ ," Chandelure twitched his chandelier arms to finger quote it, "I only smoke when I am either reading and or writing a book like my father is. I hope that answers your question."

Ninjask blinked, "Erm, that's interesting to know, but you do know that smoking is bad for you, right?"

"I am fully aware of that. But since I am a Fire and Ghost type Pokémon, smoking as far as I'm concerned, has done little to harm me."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Well now you do," Chandelure said, before taking another hit of his cigar, as the smoke appeared in front of his face, indicating where his mouth was. He looked at him, "May I ask what you're doing out here?"

"I was doing my training to find my inner peace." Ninjask replied.

"Inner peace?"

"Yeah, inner peace is part of my training. My grandpa told me that every master must find their path to inner peace. Some choose to medicate in a cave without a single taste of food or water. The others, however, find it through pain and suffering."

"Was that why you have experienced a couple of bumps and bruises here?" Chandelure said, showing a small smirk.

"Something like that," Ninjask shrugged, but then smiled, "But I'm hoping to find it before the end of the season. That's my plan. So what about you? What have you been doing out here?"

"I'm out here because I like to write my journal in a peace and quiet environment."

"Oh, that's cool, what do you write in that journal?"

"Mainly planning for my novels. I don't write anything too important beside that."

Ninjask would chat with Chandelure more, but the smell of tobacco smoke was becoming unbearable for him. "Dude, I'm heading back to the campground now, good luck on your novel."

"Thanks," Chandelure nodded, before Ninjask started flying to the campground again. He took another hit of his cigar, and then started writing something in his journal while he stared at the retreating Ninjask. "Ninjask; an accident-prone ninja who is searching for his inner peace. Threat; four out of ten. Ally; possibly."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Ninjask:** I'm surprised Chandelure smokes. I understand people smoke around my age, but I didn't expect him to smoke cigars. Those are usually for the rich people. Is Chandelure's family rich or something?

 **Chandelure:** What I was writing in my journal are my opponents in this competition. I'm analysing them to see who the threats are, and who could be my possible allies in my alliance. I've managed to come up with one person I have in my mind. But the problem is; she's on the Mysterious Mesprits. I may have to switch over to someone else.

* * *

 **Golden Inn**

While waiting for the next challenge to arrive, the scowling Leavanny sat on the couch, reading a book she brought with her to this game. However, she seemed unfocused, glancing occasionally at the door where the hot tub was. Octillery and Araquanid were _still_ inside that room. The only time anyone had seen them leave was when they had to grab something to eat, or go to the toilet.

"They've never done the 'nasty' you know, if you know what I mean," A calm disembodied voice said.

Leavanny looked up, seeing Xatu standing by the fireplace, staring directly into the fireplace. The grass Pokemon still scowling, "It probably wouldn't make any difference. At this rate, these lewd children will commit vile acts by the end of the week."

"Maybe, maybe not," Xatu said, looking back at her, "It's their choice. You cannot intervene them their whole lives."

Leavanny slammed her book down, "How can I not get involved? There are too many unwanted pregnancies in this day and age. When people doesn't want them, they throw them away to the orphanages like disposed wastes, thus giving them a harsh and meaningless life. I swear, all our future generations are going to be the example of our destruction choices…"

"We all have to make choices," Xatu said, looking back at the fireplace, "Choices define who we are. People can try to put labels on us to make it _easy_ for others to understand, when in actuality, labels are the _opposite_ of understanding."

Leavanny stopped scowling but a frown still remained on her face. She stood up and walked over to Xatu, "Why are you staring at the fireplace? You've been staring at it for almost half an hour."

Xatu doesn't seem to notice Leavanny's question, although she probably did as she slowly turned to face her and then moved back to the fireplace, "I do this because sometimes, when I keep staring into the flickering flame, I can see silhouettes of our people."

Leavanny raised a brow and looked into the fires, "Our people?"

"The people from our past, present, and future."

The grass Pokemon frowned once more albeit curious, "How does that work?"

"I've been doing this for many years. It's one of the abilities I received when I was a young girl."

"Then what do you see in the fire, Xatu?" Leavanny asked, showing a small interest of Xatu's psychic ability with the fire.

Xatu didn't reply to her question again. But she did turn to face Leavanny and spoke one word, "Spoiler."

"I beg your pardon?" Leavanny asked, raising a brow at her.

"Normally, I would tell you what I've seen in the fire," Xatu said, staring at the fireplace once again. "But we're in a game. So telling you any information I've seen in regards to this game is spoilers."

Leavanny rolled her eyes, "I should've expected that answer."

"You're a good teacher, Leavanny," Xatu said, looking at her, "But sometimes, you comes off as too strict. That's why your students in high school had filmed you and sent you here. They wanted to throw you away for as long as they could."

The scowl on the teacher's face had returned, "And now thanks to them, I may end up losing my job. The Board of Education would never allow me to work at another school again. And at this point, do I even care anymore?"

"Don't give up. People are harder to reach than others. You just need to find a method that would works for you and your students."

Leavanny stared at Xatu for a moment before her face softened a bit. She stared back at the fireplace and folded her arms. The pair remained silent, never taking their eyes off the fireplace.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Leavanny:** (She had her elbows on her laps, thinking about what Xatu said to her) Hmm. (She looked at the camera, before seemingly allowing a small smile to form) Good to know I'm not the only sane person on this island.

 **Xatu:** Leavanny isn't a bad person. She's just under a tremendous amounts of stress. Whether this island will help her remove some weight off her shoulders is still unknown to me. (She showed a small smile) But I'd like to have faith, and believe she can.

* * *

 **Campground**

Wormadam, to put it lightly, had been thinking quite a lot out recently. So far, everyone on the island she could easily place into one of two categories; Her allies, the people who will help her bring justice to the evildoers of this foul island once and for all. And then, there were the criminals, the horrid people who are there just ruin everything for the people competing, who only exist to terrorize and torture everyone here. She would seal their fates in this game herself, if her name isn't...Shit, forgot about the contract. Damn thing not allowing her to say her name out in public.

However, her thoughts were interrupted by a surprise brought about by a certain zebra running right past her. Flinching backwards on instinct, she noticed Zebstrika had stopped, before turning to her, "Oh, sorry about that. Sorta just running around the island for some quick exercise, ya know?"

Wormadam looked at him, raising a brow behind her sunglasses, "You work out?"

Zebstrika smiled down at her, "Yep, I actually work as a coach believe it or not," his smile then grew a little cocky, "But considering how I look and all, I doubt it's very hard to tell."

Wormadam rolled her eyes, "Oh yes, it is _very_ hard to tell," she said in a sarcastic tone.

Zebstrika blinked, "...Wait, is it? Have I been gaining weight or something?"

Wormadam gave him a 'Really?' look, "I was being sarcastic. Did you forget that at school?"

The zebra blinked again, before letting out a rather loud chuckle, "Oh yeah, sorry. Guess my mind's just kinda blanking is all. I'm sure you know how that feels too."

"What do you mean by that?" She hopped a bit closer.

Realizing what he had said, he nervously stuttered, "W-well you know. Everyone has those kinds of 'off' days. Ones where things that seem so easy are a bit more difficult."

Wormadam hopped forward a bit more, "Like what?"

He flinched at her getting closer, before beginning to say, "Well, for example, I'm usually used to using and listening to sarcasm since I teach high schoolers, who are usually pretty sarcastic and rude in tone. But this considered an off day for me since I didn't understand it when you used it."

Sweat appeared on Zebstrika's head, watching Wormadam staring right at him. Neither of them say a word for a minute, before the cop took a hop backward. "Oh, I get it," She nodded, "Still gotta watch your mouth though, or else, you won't get lucky next time."

Zebstrika let out a calm sigh, before beginning to breath heavily, "Oh thank god, I thought I just pissed off a cop or some-"

Zebstrika was interrupted by a loud feedback that would've been heard all over the island. "Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" Azelf's voice was heard from the intercom, "Please make your way to the open field a mile away from camp. It's challenge time! See you soon!"

The intercom turned off and the pair exchanged glances before heading over to their first team challenge.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Zebstrika:** (He was breathing heavily, before he began to actually oddly chuckle, an odd kind of amused smile on his face) Wow, Wormadam is surprisingly intimidating after you remember she's a cop. Honestly, I can see myself getting along with her, though I do need to work on the way I say things. It's gotten me in trouble with the Board of Education more times than I can remember, so maybe, if only so I don't lose my job, I should put a bit more effort into fixing it. (He began to ponder to himself) Maybe I can get her to help me?

 **Wormadam:** I don't consider him as a friend, but I don't consider him as an enemy. However, things can change _quickly_ if he doesn't remove a hoof out of his mouth soon. If so, I'll use a handcuff to cuff it! (She pulled out a handcuff)

* * *

 **Clearing**

The contestants stood in front of all three hosts, waiting for them to explain the rules for their second challenge. The other two teams noticed Mysterious Mesprit were standing away from Granbull, who never took her eyes off of them. Yanmega glanced at Komala, who was no longer holding an idol. She was back to her usual pink stump.

"Hey, guys!" Azelf said, grinning at them, "How's your last few days went?"

"Totes fabulous!" Octillery said, grinning.

"Relaxing," Zebstrika said, smiling.

"Horrible," Furret said, willing herself to not make eye contact with a certain dog.

"Lousy," Raichu said, frowning.

"Meh," Ninjask said, gesturing his hand as a maybe.

"Not as lonely as I thought it'd be," Araquanid shrugged.

Komala snored.

Azelf blinked, "Wow. A lot of different reactions already."

"You should know, we all watched them from our production studio?" Uxie said, looking annoyed.

Azelf opened his mouth to argue with him, only for his sister to place a hand over his hand.

"Okay, let's get right onto today's challenge!" Mesprit smiled at the contestants before giving her brothers a look. She removed her hand from Azelf's mouth.

"Right you are, Mesprit!" Azelf said, bringing out a letter B, "Today's letter is B! Which stands for… Battle Blockade!"

"See those Pokeballs over there?" Uxie pointed to three different coloured Pokeballs nearby, but they weren't ordinary Pokeballs. They were made of wooden blocks - one that could easily shattered if it falls into the wrong hands. "Those are your centers. Each team will have an hour to construct a fort that you have to defend yourself. When that's done, the teams will assault other's bases to try and destroy the center. Last base standing will be proclaimed the winner. First team to have their Pokeball shattered will be facing their first elimination tomorrow's night."

Drifblim scoffed, before folding his arms, "This shall be finished quickly."

"What do we have to construct our bases with?" Chandelure asked.

"We'll supply you building blocks, but you can also use wood, boulders, anything you think it would help you defend your fort," Azelf said.

"Are we all allowed to use our moves?" Turtonator asked.

Azelf fingered gun at her and smiled, "Yes you can! That would make your upcoming battles all the more fun!"

Quagsire began to wildly fling his arms into the air, "I have a question!"

"What it is, Quagsire?" Uxie asked, knowing he was going to regret asking.

Quagsire's large, dopey grin only grew wider, "Can the wild Pokemon assist us?"

"Absolutely not," Uxie said in a stern tone, "Contestants only."

Quagsire began to sigh, before looking down in sadness, "Aw, guess Jojo and his friends won't be able to help us."

Ninjask patted him in the back, giving him a smile, "Don't worry, we can still win this!"

The water fish sighed, "I guess...Still wish they could though. So much potential bonding."

"I believe you can live without them," Leavanny said, rolling her eyes.

"If you guys have no more question, we'll start giving you your building blocks!" Mesprit said, smiling.

All three hosts used telekinesis to lift a huge pile of building blocks out of the giant box beside them and put them onto the ground, free for anyone to take it.

Azelf brought out an hourglass, "Okay, guys, your one hour starts...Now!" He turned it over, making the sand to move downward.

The three teams ran over to the building blocks, grabbing whatever they can and then ran over to their spot, ready to turn them into a fort.

* * *

The Unique Uxies went over to their own spot, dropping off building blocks onto the floor. Ninjask looked at his teammates.

"So what's our plan here?" He asked.

"Our team has a disadvantage as the other teams has an extra player," Chandelure said, glancing at his team's fragile statue, "We need to make sure that our ball is well-protected."

Purugly snickered.

Chandelure and Turtonator stared at her before resuming their conversation.

"Obviously, we need at least two of us to stand guards to prevent the other teams from reaching it. I volunteer for it. Anyone else?" Turtonator looked at her teammates.

Jellicent raised her large fin, staring vacantly at the turtle. Turtonator felt chills run down her spine. "Yeah, you would be effective."

Quagsire smiled at his team, "Wow, you all seem so unified. I wonder if this is a sign for things to come, or if a tree will collapse and doom us to lose."

"If I've learn anything about bad luck, mentioning what could happen will happen," Ninjask said, glancing at him.

"So when we've finished our base, which team should we go after?" Sableye asked.

"Mysterious Mesprits," Chandelure said, immediately, "There are several teammates on the Awesome Azelfs that would be too troublesome for us."

Turtonator nodded, "I agree. I heard one of them is in a military, and Drifblim would be _hard_ to defeat, let alone get past him."

"I believe we can defeat them," Purugly said, "Taking down a stronger team would benefit us in a long run."

"Did you not hear the part about Drifblim?" Turtonator said, raising a brow at her as she gestured to everyone else, "How can this team take down a guy who took down Granbull with no effort, and seemingly has no qualms hurting anyone here if they piss him off?"

"That's how we'd do it!" Purugly said, smirking, "We'd let Granbull distract him, leaving the rest of us to destroy their statue."

"There are risks we can take, but this isn't the time and place to do it," Chandelure said, looking unsure.

"Well, we won't know unless we'd try," Purugly said, looking a bit annoyed.

"We're sticking to our original plan," Turtonator gave the fat cat a stern glare, "We'll take on Mysterious Mesprits and destroys their statue. We've only need to outlast one team to give us immunity. Are we clear on that?" She said, looking at everyone.

Quagsire raised a hand, "I was wondering if I could go grab us some snacks for this? Never know when we'll get hungry while playing."

"We don't have time for that!" Turtonator said, "We need to make sure we'd find anything we need apart from building blocks to help us defend our statue."

Quagsire blinked, before pulling grass out of the ground, "Can this work as camouflage?"

"That wouldn't work," Sableye said, shaking her head, "Trust me, I tried."

"Half of us should construct our base now, while the rest of us should spread out and find resources that we could potentially use to make possible weapons and to _actually_ camouflage our base," Chandelure said the last part with a little dislike, as he glanced at Quagsire.

"Komala can find stuff!" Sableye pointed at the sleeping koala.

"Seriously?" Purugly said, looking wary at Sableye, who glared at her.

"Yes, seriously. She told me-" Sableye suddenly bit her tongue, stopping herself from saying another word.

"Told you what?" Turtonator said, narrowing her eyes at her.

"N-never mind," Sableye said, giving her a sheepish grin, "My mind went blank for a moment."

Quagsire smiled at the gremlin, "It's okay, I do that a lot myself."

A certain chandelier rolled his eyes, "Why am I not surprised by that?"

Turtonator considered asking more questions when she knew her team couldn't afford to waste any more time. She looked at everyone, "Ninjask, Jellicent, Komala, and I shall find other resources while the rest of you start building our fort. It's everyone clear on that?"

Her team nodded in agreement. She showed a small smile and then turned around to walk towards the forest, "Then let's get moving!"

* * *

"I'll sabotage the others so they would have no chance at winning!" Granbull shouted, glancing at the other teams.

Wormadam hopped forward, glaring at her behind her sunglasses, "You're not doing anything to them. We need to use this time to build our fort."

Granball snarled at the small cop, "All it takes for one team to lose is to break their _precious_ statue. Which is why I'm going after the Azelfs."

"And get yourself killed by that gigantic blimp?" Raichu shrugged, "That's one problem off this team's back, I guess."

Granbull pointed at him, "Everyone has a weakness. I've gotta find his and use it to break his spirit. That's how we win!"

"Breaking someone's spirit is not what we do on this team," Espeon said, glaring at her.

"Maybe not to a bunch of pussies, but that's how I'd run things back home," Granbull said, looking at everyone.

"Do I even wanna know what do you do back home?" Ursaring said, concerned.

Granbull growled at the bear, "It's none of your fucking business!"

Vanilluxe floated forward, smiling nervously, "How about we don't dilly dally any longer, and let's build our fort."

Espeon nodded, "Right. Granbull, Meowstic, Bastiodon, Wormadam, and I will stay here to build our fort with those building blocks," She gestured to a huge pile of building block closeby, "The rest of you should look out for more resources to fortify our fort better. Everyone agrees?"

Her team nodded, including Granball, who gave her a reluctant nod.

Espeon smiled slightly, "Okay, let's get to it."

The team split into two, ready to do their part. However, all but one teammate had a different goal in their mind; one they must be sure to accomplish to send themselves to their first elimination.

* * *

"Okay, guys," Yanmega said, looking at his team, "We need to split into two teams! One to stay here to build our base, and the other should go out and find any resources you can to make our base more protected."

Drifblim's stare grew unwavering, as he moved closer to the bug, almost to a point of discomfort, "I shall find resources, all of you stay here. In the end, the more workers, the more effective our base shall be."

Yanmega looked wary, floating back a bit from the blimp, "Cool. Cool. But maybe you should bring at least one person with ya? In case something happens?"

The blimp was already floating away, "No. If anything were to happen with more than one of us gone, we'd be down multiple men for defense. I will be fine. All of you just build the best structure you can. I promise to bring back the reapings of what I find."

Araquanid shivered, "Why does he have to be so creepy with how he says things?"

"Don't look at me for answers, I don't know him," Leavanny gave a retreating Drifblim a scowl, "But apparently, he seemed to be a sexist, believing only men can works on our base."

"At least I didn't say it this time," Zebstrika muttered.

Infernape looked at Leavanny, smoke forming from his mouth as he let out a puff from his cigar, "He was referring to all of us as a unit. I doubt he had any intention of seeming sexist."

"Oh…" Octillery groaned, "I was hoping to not do too much work."

"You'll have to if you wanna spend more nights at the Golden Inn," Yanmega gave her a stern look.

"We wouldn't tolerate any slackers on our team," Leavanny also gave Octillery a stern look.

Octillery folded her tentacles and pouted, "Fine. Whatev."

Araquanid whispered to the octopus, "I'll do your work. Just make yourself look like you're working so the others don't vote you off."

Octillery glanced at him, and showed a small, appreciative smile, "Oh, thanks."

The spider replied with a small smile, before turning back to Yanmega, "So, where do we start?"

"Those who can fly or can use telekinesis will have to carry the blocks at the higher level. When we'd get to that point, the rest of you have to give those blocks to us so we can do that. Got it?"

Xatu nodded, "Loud and clear."

Yanmega showed a grin, "Alright, guys! Awesome Azelfs for the win!" He flew over to the pile of building blocks, picking one up already. The rest was close behind, some more enthusiastic than others.

* * *

Thirty minutes had passed, and the Unique Uxie was already making progress with their base. The team had made decent progress on what could only be described at some kind of tree fort-like structure. It looked out of place in a lot of ways, but it still felt like it'd supply a good kind of cover against most of the contestants on the island. That and with some additional camouflage thanks to the leaves and branches of the trees, it might actually get the job done on defending them.

Turtonator put down a large branch near the entrance. She glanced at Chandelure nearby, seeing him draping the wall with leaves, "So what's your opinion on our team?"

Chandelure blinked at her, and then glanced at the others. Sableye had her notepad out, and was asking Jellicent a series of questions. However, the jellyfish hadn't spoken a word back, occupied with placing building blocks on top of another. Komala was closeby, sleeping as usual. Ninjask was placing long grass on the base's exterior wall to camouflage it, until Purugly asked him something, which caused him to drop the grass, eyes widened. A blush appeared on his face and floated away from the smirking cat. Quagsire was nowhere to be seen.

The chandelier frowned, "It could've been better."

The turtle groaned to herself, before nodding, "I agree. I don't trust most of them, especially Sableye-"

"What are you guys talking about?" Sableye suddenly appeared beside them, making the pair yelp in surprise and jump a little back.

"What the- Did you heard me saying your name?" Turtonator stared at Sableye, eyes widened.

"Nope. I saw you two talking with each other, not loud enough for the others to hear!" Sableye said, speaking louder as she talked, alerting the others towards them.

"We were just discussing about our team," Chandelure muttered.

Sableye took a step closer, narrowing her eyes, "About what?"

Suddenly, a new, much louder voice interrupted the three, "I have brought back marsh!"

The team blinked and moved out of the fort, seeing Quagsire running towards the group with a large dopey grin, as he carried a large ball of what could only be described as a swamp on his back. It was covered in mud, grass, branches, and a ton of naturally dripping water. In an odd way, it actually blended in surprisingly well with the trees surrounding the area they were situated in.

"Quagsire, what is this?" Turtonator asked the goofball, baffled by what he was holding on his back.

Without another word said, the water fish jumped through the air, before screaming, "Mud pile of destiny, go spread your wonder on our house!"

With all of his effort, he threw the pile at the house, which soon covered the entire outside in the substance within it...And to the surprise of his entire team, it actually made the base blend in perfectly. If you were on the ground below, you wouldn't even be able to make the base out at all.

The team stared at their now blended tree fort in surprise, finding it hard to believe that the goofball was able to camouflage their base much more effectively. They turned to Quagsire, who just smiled at his teammates, before saying, "Did I do a good thing?"

His team still stared at their team captain.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Chandelure:** Quagsire may be our team captain, and provides an element of surprise, but I believe Turtonator would've been more qualified. She has a good sense of direction, and she's one of the few I may consider as my ally. (He brought out a notebook, flipping through pages until he found Turtonator's) Turtonator - A person who is concerned about many things, but contains good common sense. Threat: Seven out of ten. Ally: Most likely. Hmm…

 **Ninjask:** (He smiled) Man, Quagsire is good at what he does! Sure, he's a little odd, but maybe that's why he's our team captain! We do have some pretty odd people on the team after all, especially Jellicent. (He shuddered) But still, I may prefer her instead of Purugly. (His face looked a bit green)

 **Quagsire:** (He was clapping to a tune in his head) I really want waffles now. I wonder if they'll have them for breakfast tomorrow.

* * *

Forty-five minutes had passed, as the Mysterious Mesprit looked over their base...And saw just how underprepared they were. Deciding to set up on a beach was probably not the best idea, considering just how badly the water was actually affecting the outer shell of the base, and it seemed to actually made the defenses of it overall infinitely worse than what any of them would reasonably want out of a real fortress to defend an item. Luckily, considering their plans, this only made things better for them as a whole.

Putting on an act, Bastiodon frowned, "You called this a base? This looks like it's going to collapse any minute!"

"Like it or not, it's too late to conjure up another base," Wormadam said, "This is what we're gonna get."

Granbull growled, before roaring in rage, "How the hell did you losers screw up this badly?!"

"Ask our _glorious_ leader, Espeon," Bastiodon pointed at Espeon, who stared at him in disbelief, "It was her idea."

Ursaring nudged Bastiodon, before whispering, "Hey now, don't throw it all towards her. If this doesn't work, she could get hurt now."

"As long it's not me, I don't care who'd get hurt," Bastiodon whispered.

As they whispered though, Granbull was already stomping towards Espeon, "You made this call, you bitch?!"

Despite Granbull's intimidating nature, Espeon stood still and glared at her, "I'm team captain, of course I made this call-"

However, as Espeon said this, she was suddenly cut off by a swipe from the mutt, as she growled over her, slobber beginning to form from her mouth, "I already told you, you ain't the leader," she grabbed onto the pink Eeveelution's fur, pulling her up towards her furious face, "I'm the leader! Now shut the hell up, and be prepared to face the consequences!"

Meowstic took a step forward, ready to fight Granbull any moment, "Hey, fighting amongst our team isn't gonna help us win this challenge. We need every person in their best condition to contribute."

Granbull scoffed, before throwing Espeon to the ground, "Please, I'm carrying this team, and you all know it!"

"So what's your plan then?" Raichu asked, annoyed with Granbull's erratic behaviour.

Granbull smirked, sadistic glee in her eyes, "We go to the Azelfs, and destroy them!"

"Erm, the team is stronger," Vanilluxe said, uncertain. He leaned back as Granbull snapped her head at him.

"Exactly! By taking down the stronger team, nobody is going to make a fool out of us, especially me, ever again!" Granbull said, before turning to her teammates, "Now shut the fuck up, and get back to work!"

Without saying another word, the team resumed working on their base. Despite looking wary, most of them were grinning on the inside, knowing that their plan would work.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Espeon:** (She smiled) Our base is made rather poorly, meaning we're on the right track to sending that demon back to where she's belongs!

 **Granbull:** (She snarled at the camera...Before she began to laugh maniacally) Please, do they think I'm stupid or something? I can see right through those bitches, and I guess now, I'm just gonna have to do what I usually do and be the best player here. I'm gonna win this challenge on my own, and afterwards, I'm gonna spend all night and day torturing those little fucks for thinking they could mess with me!

* * *

The time limit was quickly approaching, as the Amazing Azelfs began to hasten their speed a bit. Similar to the other two bases, the Azelfs were using an already pre-built structure as their location. They had decided to place their structure just inside a rather dimly lit cave. What used to be some kind of mineshaft was now a rusted and mostly decayed structure, that seemed to barely stop a cave-in from occurring. However, it also provided camouflage naturally due to basically being pitch-black on initial look.

As the team continued to work, Araquanid seemed a little distracted by something. Octillery stopped rubbing her tentacle on the wall and looked at him, raising a brow. "What's your prob?"

The spider blinked for a moment, before staring up at a certain dragon above them, "...I didn't notice earlier, but Hydreigon's...Kind of adorable."

Octillery looked up at her and then looked back at Araquanid, "Really? She seemed weird."

Araquanid shrugged with a sheepish smile, "I'm kinda into weird. Besides, with just how awkward she is, I can't help but find her a little cute. Granted, who am I to talk when I can barely form sentences without feeling like I fucked up or something."

"If I can handle talking to you, I'm sure you and that three headed dragon would totally get along faster than Bella with Edward," Octillery said, looking uncaring.

Araquanid blinked, before giving the octopus a confused look, "I'm sorry, who?"

Octillery rolled her eyes, "They're from Twilight aka my all time favourite movie series ev-ah. The only thing I would change is to make Bella choose Jacob instead," She sighed and smiled, "Then again, that would make him totally single and ready to party."

The spider smiled at her awkwardly, "Sorry, I'm only really into action films...And sci-fi, but I'm kinda turned into the butt of all jokes when I mention that, so…"

"Even butt jokes?" Octillery said, smirking.

Araquanid blushed, "Um...I don't know. Is there even a way to make a butt joke about me considering I'm kind of a spider and all? Heck, you'd probably be easier to make one abo-"

He cut himself off, slapping one of his many legs over his mouth, before sighing, "And that's where those come in I guess. At least it was a record this time."

Octillery looked annoyed, "Hey, say what you want about my butt, but I _know_ they'd be totes lucky to get their hand on this!" She slapped her backside.

The spider blushed a deeper shade of red, "I'd like to move on from this conversation now, please."

The octopus shrugged and resumed rubbing the wall, "Alright then. Watch your mouth, or else you'll be rejected by every girl in college faster than-"

Araquanid interrupted with a growl in his voice, which surprisingly, actually made him sound intimidating, "I've already been rejected by every girl in college. No need to rub more salt in the wound."

Octillery looked slightly surprised, "Oh, totes awkward…"

The spider rolled his eyes, before walking away with an annoyed tone, "I'm gonna go finish up the structure. You do...Whatever you're doing I guess."

Zebstrika and Leavanny pushed a boulder into the right place. They groaned.

"How much longer to go?" Leavanny muttered.

Xatu stood by the entrance, staring at the sun, "It should be now."

Just as she'd finished her sentence, a loud crackle was heard throughout the island.

"Everyone, stop building your fort," Uxie said in the intercom, "Please collect your statue and bring it back to your base. As soon as each team is ready, we shall begins the official challenge."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Araquanid:** (He groaned to himself in the confessional, before turning to the camera) Look, I admit that I'm kinda sensitive about the date thing...Doesn't mean it hurts any less though. This island is a new start for me. Besides Octillery, nobody here really acts like the girls at my school, so maybe I might actually have a _chance_ now. Besides, (he gives the camera his attempt at a smirk) I'm into older women anyways.

 **Octillery:** In a way, I'm not surprised he was rejected by every girl in college. He has that feeling where people would've screamed, 'Loser!' (She made a loser gesture on her forehead) It doesn't have to be that way. He's gotta work on his awkwardness. That's a boner killer. And nobody wanna go out with a boner killer.

 **Xatu:** (She blinks in the confessional, before giving the camera a playful smile) Maybe I should start making bets with the others out of fun. It'd be rather amusing.

* * *

With each team collected their statues and brought it back to their forts, they were waiting for the hosts to give the signal to start the challenge.

The intercom turned on once more. Azelf's voice was heard, "Okay, guys! Hope you're all ready to battle, because it starts right…NOW!" A loud honk was heard throughout the island, mark the start of the challenge.

The Unique Uxie faced each other.

"Okay, guys!" Turtonator said, "Jellicent and I will stay here with the statue! The rest of you head for the Mesprits!"

Ninjask flew out of the fort first, holding Komala on his back. Quagsire soon followed, jumping right off the fort, "I can fly!" He then fell straight towards the ground below, landing with a loud flop.

"Are you alright?" Chandelure asked, floating out of the fort, looking down at Quagsire, concerned.

Quagsire popped right up though, completely unaffected by the fall, as he ran into the forest, "Onwards to adventure and love!"

Chandelure rolled his eyes and floated on. Purugly hopped off followed by Sableye, who looked back at the remaining pair, "Don't you do anything stupid!" Sableye said, before following her teammates into the forest.

Turtonator frowned, and then she felt chills down her large, spiky spine.

"They don't trust you," Jellicent whispered directly into Turtonator's ears.

Turtonator screamed and hopped backward, almost falling off the fort due to her weight, "Don't do that! I'm freaking out as it is!"

Jellicent stared at her and then floated upside down, never taking her eyes off of Turtonator's, "There's a _lot_ to be freaking out about."

"Do you always do this?" Turtonator asked, taking a step back, "Is this the real you?"

Jellicent stared at her for a moment before replying, "Yes…"

"Why?"

"Because that's a way I am, and always will be until the end of my life," She floated right up again, placing her large fins on her face, still staring directly into her eyes.

Turtonator walked over to the statue, until the object was between her and the creepy ghost, "I'll stand here, while you stay there. Are we clear on that?"

Jellicent remained silent and turned around, dropping her arms to her side. Turtonator let out a shaky sigh and looked at her surroundings, expecting an enemy to pop up at any moment.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Turtonator:** (She shuddered, clutching herself) God, that woman is unnerving! I have several people on my team I want to eliminate right away, but now I'm having a harder time on who to vote for! Her? Sableye? Komala? Quagsire? My first elimination is going to be hard.

 **Jellicent:** I'm not an idiot. I know I can't keep up this "Nightmare Fuel" act for the entire game. It won't help me gain allies. When I do gain allies, I'll tell them about the real me as a sign of trust. Unless someone becomes invisible, nobody win games like this without allies. Maybe I could start with Turtonator?

* * *

Waiting outside their poorly made base, Ursaring and Furret sat on the sand, waiting for an opposing team to arrive and send them to their first elimination. Everyone else had left, reluctantly following Granbull to search for the Awesome Azelf's base.

Ursaring showed a small smile, staring out into the sea, "I like staring at the big blue. It relaxes me."

Furret stood up, and started pacing around the beach, "Uh huh."

Ursaring turned his head to Furret and stopped smiling. Furret kept wringing her paws while often glancing in the direction where Granbull and the others had walked towards. The poor girl looked so nerve-wracked, almost as if she was gonna have a heart attack any second. He sat straight, "Hey, don't worry too much. That mean dog will be out of our hairs soon enough."

"But what if another team loses instead?" Furret said, her eyes remained at the sand, "Then we'll have to deal with her even longer. She could end up killing someone by the start of the next challenge. We have a good plan, but anything can happen during the challenge. Oh, god…The thought of being so close to Granbull even longer…" She gripped her head, breathing heavily.

Ursaring stood up, walked over to her and placed his claws onto Furret's body. Realizing a stranger was touching her, Furret screamed and scurried backward, making distance between the pair. Holding his arms up, Ursaring took a step back, eyes widened.

"Whoa! What did I do? What did I do?" The bear Pokemon said, worried he just committed a terrible deed.

Furret took several heavy breathing, slowly calming herself down. A minute later, she gave Ursaring an apologetic look, "Sorry, Ursaring. I'm not a fan of physical contact."

Ursaring lowered his arms, looking guilty, "Oh, sorry. I didn't know."

"It's fine. You know now," Furret said, finally eased up on her breathing and stared at the sand beneath her.

The pair remained silent, not knowing what to say to each other now. The only thing they could hear now was the sound of the water splashing against the back of their base, slowly but surely damaging it. Five minutes later, Ursaring broke the silence.

"So why aren't you a fan of physical contact?" He asked.

Furret looked up at him, "It's only been three days, therefore, you're still a stranger to me."

Ursaring nodded, "Totally understand. It's ain't nice if somebody you don't know try to touch ya in a bad vibe."

Furret nodded, "I'm not completely against it. I've only let family and close friends hug me, handholding, and other stuff related to contact. My body is always on guard, and it's hard to let it go down until I'd feel comfortable enough to be close to someone. Are you with me on this so far?"

The bear nodded, "Yeah, I am. Again, I'm sorry I touched you. I was just trying to calm ya down."

Furret showed a tiny smile, "I appreciate it. I may not looks like it, but I do."

Ursaring returned a larger smile and sat down, "I think we've gotten off to a rough start. Do you wanna build sandcastles with me while we learn about each other?"

Furret placed a paw on her chin, looking deep in thought, "I do want to improve on my social skills. Guess it's a good way to start."

She sat down, and the pair started scooping up sand to create a sandcastle. As they were about to build the first floor, they heard a loud thump and snapped their heads toward their base, seeing its back half collapsed, leaving a huge gaping hole for the pair to see the sea behind it.

Furret looked back at her teammate, "Do you think we'd automatically lose if our base falls and destroys our statue?"

Ursaring chuckled, "It'd sure be a funny way to lose a challenge. I don't think the hosts said _we_ have to destroy it."

Furret showed a small smile, "It would be a little funny."

With that said, the pair resumed building their sandcastles, now feeling less tension in the air.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Ursaring:** I didn't think I'd be able to calm the girl down. She may be an adult just like the rest of us, but in a way, it feels like she's a little girl. That's a bit strange, but hey, who am I to judge? (He showed a smile and leaned back against the chair) I'm just glad she's feeling better.

 **Furret:** Ursaring seems to be a good guy so far. I feel calmer than I have been all day. (She showed a small smile) First Chandelure, then Quagsire, and now Ursaring? I'm getting better at being social. (She was silent for a moment, before looking back at the camera) I should tell you this; I'm diagnosed with…Autism. It's a condition where people get emotional and social problems. I had this since I was born, but my parents didn't know that until I was about three or four years old. Ever since then, I have been struggling with my life due to people picking on me while I was at school. I didn't have many friends since I usually stay at home. However, as years went by, I have gotten better with handling my emotions and becoming more social. Right now, I'm completely a different person than I was when I was younger. But…Even now, I still get quite uncomfortable with other people, besides my parents, touching me, which explained my reaction when Ursaring tried to touch me. However, making more friends and becoming even more social is one of the reasons why I'm here. So hopefully, by the time I go home, I'll be a better person. (She smiles hopefully)

* * *

In the middle of the forest, a small group of players from the Azelfs were searching for the other teams. However, their efforts so far seemed mostly pointless, as they had not seen a single player since the game had started, and by extension, had seen no evidence pointing them towards either of the enemy bases. Among those in the group were Yanmega, who flew high in the trees and was a bit further ahead than the others, Zebstrika, who was casually jogging along the ground with a confident smile on his face, and Drifblim and Xatu flew slightly slower in the back.

As they flew along though, the blimp eventually turned to the bird, "I've noticed that you seem to be distracted by something. Either explain now or face whatever issue is bothering you."

Xatu's gaze did not deter, as she didn't even turn to face Drifblim, "I've had a vision involving Granbull. I recommend you return to the base. The others are in danger."

Drifblim stared at her for a moment, before beginning to turn, "For giving me this information, you have my respect."

The blimp then took off into the woods, seemingly making his way back to the base, making little to no noise as he zoomed through the trees. As this happened, Xatu flew over to the other two, before casually saying, "I'm afraid that Drifblim is returning to base on urgent matters."

Zebstrika rose a brow, "Like what? Is he worried the others are gonna fuck up or slack off or something, because I wouldn't put that past Octillery or Araquanid."

Yanmega gave the zebra a slight glare, "Dude, a little rude there."

Realizing what he said, Zebstrika swore under his breath, "Crap, I have to get a handle on that," he turned to Xatu, "Anyways, what's actually up? Should we head back with him or just keep going?"

The bird shook her head, "No. I believe that what will happen in the future is something that Drifblim would prefer handling on his own."

Yanmega shrugged, "That's fine. At least now I don't have to worry about the guy potentially killing anyone we come across."

Zebstrika gave the dragonfly a look, "Wait, you seriously think he'd do that?"

Yanmega began to fly off again, "How am I supposed to know? All I've learned about the guy is that he's not afraid to hurt people and he's freaky as hell. I honestly wouldn't put it past him."

Blinking at this, the zebra shrugged, before running after him, "True, I guess."

As the two ran ahead, Xatu stare on, continuing to not blink or express emotions, but a subtle feeling of distaste could still be made out from behind her eyes.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Yanmega:** (He gave the camera a look, before shrugging) Look, nothing against the guy, but he hasn't done a thing to prove that he's worth trusting. Besides Hydreigon, he hasn't treated any of us with any respect, and seems to think the lowest of all of us. That and he seems to be trying to take away my position of power and become the new team leader or something. Personally, if he doesn't join mine and Infernape's alliance, I want him out earlier than anyone else on the team.

 **Zebstrika:** Drifblim's a strong guy who hasn't done anything wrong to anyone besides Granbull, and even then she's a raging psycho with a temper problem. In my opinion, I think the guy's gonna be a valuable asset to the team. Hell, I can actually see us getting along if he just starts talking to us more often. Hell, the only reason I agreed with Yanmega is just because you kinda need to stay on a leader's good side, because one screw up around them, and you're gone.

* * *

Vanilluxe was completely lost out in the woods by this point. At some point, the Mesprits had all split off from their group, each going about their own plans, some completely ignoring the challenge all together. To them, they already knew for a fact that they'd be losing to take Granbull out, and thus didn't even bother trying to put effort into the game today. Regardless of this though, the ice cream couldn't help but feel a little nervous out in the woods all by himself...And on a much higher scale, a little uncomfortable.

He was always a pretty social person. For him, life was at it's absolute best when around those you care about and enjoy hanging out with. For him, that was usually his kids or his lovely wife, but since the former were too young to be here, and the latter wants to keep their marriage a secret for now, he didn't really have anyone to be around right now. And since his team weren't exactly the most social people on the island, he didn't really get the chance to get to know any of them yet. Though he had made some attempts to learn more about…

Granbull...The poor girl would be leaving the island soon, and he had failed to convince his team to keep her for just a little longer. Sure, he couldn't blame them for rushing to the conclusion that she was just gonna hurt them both during and outside of challenges, but in the end, he just feels she's a little scared of their current scenario, and this is just how she adapts. He has no doubt in his mind that underneath that hard outer shell was an amazing person who just needs a hug and a friend. Vanilluxe desperately wanted to be that for her, but in the end, he had already failed, and soon, she'd be leaving and he'd maybe never see her again.

But soon, as these thoughts went through his mind for just a moment longer, he stopped suddenly, noticing a certain mutt growling to herself in the trees, seemingly giving a cave a cold glare. Smiling to himself, he flew over to her.

"Why hello, Granbull. Beautiful day we-" He began, before suddenly getting pushed to the ground. Before he had a chance to say anything more, she had already grabbed onto him.

Snarling in his face, Granbull growled, "Shut it! I'm watching them."

At this use of words, the ice cream rose a brow, "Watching who?"

The dog pointed at the cave, and after squinting his eyes a little, he could make out some kind of base inside, as he chuckled, "Well, what do you know? You found it."

Granbull let go of him, pushing him to the ground, "No shit," she then turned to the cave, "Now come on, you're helping me take down that statue."

The ice cream's mind began to rack with guilt at the memory that they were supposed to lose, "Um…How about we just leave them alone. They ain't done anything to us."

Rolling her eyes, she stomped towards him, before growling, "It's part of the challenge to take down the other bases! And no matter what, that one's gonna need to get taken down before the end of it in order for our team to win immunity."

Vanilluxe stuttered, "W-well yes, but still. It just feels...Wrong to do something like that without a real reason."

Granbull scoffed to herself, before putting on a fake smile, "You know...I can agree to you and me being friends."

The ice cream's mood brightened up instantly, as his emotions began to ignore his brain, "Really?!"

The mutt nodded slowly with a condescending tone to her voice, "Yeah, and all you have to do is help me take these losers down and maybe rough them up a bit. We gotta deal?"

Vanilluxe, having completely missed most of what she said, happily shook her hand, "We sure do, lady!"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Granbull:** (She was laughing psychotically) Wow, he's a fucking loser and a moron! Time to use this little bitch to my advantage and win the challenge, and if we lose, at least now I have a scapegoat in the form of a certain freakish ice cream.

 **Vanilluxe:** (He was having a mini-celebration in his head) See, I told you she could be a nice girl!

* * *

Komala yawned and rubbed her eyes, opening them halfway, before looking around her surroundings, "How…Did we get up here?"

She was riding on Ninjask's back, staring at the island across a huge distance. They could see miles in every direction and see different landmarks, including the campground. The trees' leaves blew in the wind, the calming sounds of nature having taken over as she could only stare on at the absolute bliss in front of her. Most people would've find it incredible, while all Komala cared about was getting more sleep.

Ninjask jumped at the sound of her voice, "Whoa, you can talk?" he said, eyes widened.

"Yeah…" Komala said before closing her eyes, as she began to snore once more..

Ninjask blinked, "Man, that is one tired Pokemon."

"Ninjask!" Chandelure moved upward until he was floating beside the pair, "Did you see either of our opposing teams' bases yet?"

"It's so much harder to tell than I thought," Ninjask peered around the island, "Maybe they've camouflaged it like we did with ours."

Chandelure frowned, "Perhaps. You two remain in the sky. I'll stay close to the ground with the others. Whoever finds the base must call out."

Ninjask gave him a thumb up, "Got it, dude!" He zoomed ahead, determined to find the opposing team's base first.

Chandelure floated downward until he was closeby with his other teammates on the ground.

"Did you guys find it yet?" Purugly asked, looking up at the chandelier Pokemon.

"No. It's clear the other teams have put in as much effort into camouflaging their bases as ours," Chandelure said, looking ahead, "We need to pay more attention to our surroundings, and not to let our guards down for a moment."

"That's how I find other people's secrets!" Sableye said, running quicker than usual due to her short legs. She shot him a toothy grin, "I'll find yours one day! It's just a matter of when!"

Quagsire showed a dopey grin, "Finding things you aren't supposed to is fun. It's kinda like that time when my mommy told me she found this weird guy's bag of grass, and told me to never tell anyone because it's not a good-"

Sableye grinned, slashing off a piece of bark from a tree as her handmade notepad and followed the goofball, using her claw to write everything Quagsire was telling her.

"Stop!" Chandelure shouted out of nowhere.

Quagsire stopped, but Sableye was too busy writing down information, causing her to crash onto Quagsire's back. However, this only caused her to fall backwards, as he turned back to her, "Gosh, are you okay? Mommy always told me how that you look where you're going."

Sableye groaned before showing a weak smile and held up her wooden notepad, "Totally worth it…"

"What it is?" Purugly asked Chandelure, who gestured her to be quiet and then pointed at something ahead.

Quagsire looked ahead as well, before his smile formed again, "Hey look, it's the doggy and ice cream guys. Let's go say hi-"

Chandelure pressed his chandelier arms to Quagsire's lips, giving him a stern glare, "Be quiet!" He whispered before pulling him behind the tree. Sableye and Purugly stood behind the pair.

All of them poke their heads out, seeing Granbull and Vanilluxe approaching a cave,

Purugly peered at the cave, before widening her eyes, "It's the Azelfs' base."

"Are we going in there or what?" Sableye asked, staring at the cave inside.

"No," Chandelure said, "Chances are, there will be strong teammates inside, including Drifblim. We cannot take that risk."

The water fish next to him blinked, before smiling, "Oh, the big friendly blimp? He seems nice."

"The guy could possibly kill by just staring at us!" Sableye whispered, a surprising amount of panic in her voice.

Quagsire continued to smile, "Yeah, but he just looks so bouncy. Nothing bouncy could possibly be bad."

"Still, we cannot risk it," Chandelure said.

"He may not even be there," Purugly whispered, glaring at him, before a smirk crept onto her face, "Although, I would _love_ to get a taste of him."

"Gross," Sableye said, deadpanned.

Quagsire rose a brow, "Wait, but he doesn't look that tasty. Wouldn't biting him be sorta like biting a bounce house? And trust me, that did not end great for me."

"Tell me more about that later," Sableye said, "Right now, Chandelure is right. I don't wanna risk being hospitalized before I uncover some huge secrets!"

Quagsire smiled, "I'll stay with the group to feel included."

Chandelure gave Purugly a stern look, "We're leaving. Majority rules."

With that was said, Chandelure started floating away, followed by Sableye and Quagsire. Purugly remained still, glaring at them. She glanced at the cave nearby. Making a quick glance at her team one more time, she turned around and walked towards the cave, trying to be quiet as possible.

Sableye removed more bark off the tree, giving herself more stuff to write down on. She turned to her right, seeing the fat cat approaching the cave. She dropped her wooden notepads and snapped her head at her other teammates to tell them, only to see they were too far away from her.

Thinking to herself, she began to take a step towards them...Before picking up her notepads and racing after Purugly, some kind of lust in her eyes as she chased after her, determined to get answers out of the cat.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** Purugly is up to something, and I know for a fact it's gonna give me some serious dirt on her! (She gives the camera a wicked smile) The cat's up to some naughty things, heh heh!

 **Purugly:** (She gave the camera a curious smile) What? Can you really blame me for wanting to see how that ended? Those two are basically walking into a bloodbath waiting to happen. We just don't know who'd shed blood.

* * *

The Azelfs' base had largely undergone the worst kind of torture...Boredom. Not once since the group had left had they seen a single living being. No enemies had wandered into sight at all, and while they had seen Wormadam wander past earlier, her sunglasses had stopped her from actually seeing anything other than pitch black darkness inside the cave, and considering the fact that she seemed to not have the best hearing, she hadn't even heard the players inside either.

Araquanid gave off a bored expression, "Anyone else kinda wish something would happen soon?"

Taking a puff off his cigar, Infernape gave the spider a look, "Guess what kid, a large part of war is waiting. So just stay quiet and look out for anyone who shows up."

Araquanid gave the monkey a look, "Wait...We aren't at war right now though. This is just a game. No need to take it so seriously or anything."

Hydreigon blinked, before saying, "Wouldn't...This count...As a war...By definition...Due to opposing...Sides trying to...Defeat one another?"

"Maybe if we're lucky, the other teams will take each other out, and we could win without even trying," Octillery said, resting against the wall.

Hydreigon gave the octopus a look, before a slight smile appeared, "That'd be nice….But it's...Unlikely."

Infernape rolled his eyes, "No, neither side is that dumb. Eventually one of them will take the other out, and then we'll have to fight. So keep your guards up."

"I don't think we have to wait any longer to find out the answer," Leavanny said, pointing at the pair approaching them.

Walking slowly into the cave was a certain slobbering mutt, and a smiling ice cream. The latter began to wave at the team with one of his heads tilting to indicate the wave, "Hey, everyone! How's your day been?"

Araquanid blinked, before waving slightly back, awkwardly saying, "Um...Good I guess."

Vanilluxe smiled happily, "Why that's just grand. Good to know you folks are enjoying yourselves on this amazing day-"

The ice cream was soon slapped in the back of the heads by Granbull, who growled, "We're here to kick your asses and destroy your statue," she began to smile in a rather creepy way, "Then maybe kick your asses again for good measure."

As Vanilluxe groaned slightly, his eyes widened, before panickingly saying, "W-Wait! You never said we'd hurt them."

Granbull growled at the ice cream, before slapping him away again, "No shit we're gonna hurt them! I need to fucking establish that I'm the dominate force on this island, and these losers need to know that just as much as our teammates."

Vanilluxe groaned again on the ground, "Please stop hitting me. It hurts."

The mutt glanced away from the ice cream, before smiling wickedly, "Now, who's first?"

The Azelfs' blinked for a moment, before Araquanid screamed, "Not it!"

Leavanny scoffed, "I refuse to even acknowledge this conflict. I refuse to engage in this."

Octillery rolled her eyes, before stating, "For once I agree with an adult...It feels gross."

The bug gasped in disgust, "While I never-"

"Enough!" Infernape shouted, stepping forward, glaring at the malevolent dog, "If you dares step into our base, you'll have to fight me!"

Hydreigon nodded soon after, "I shall...Assist."

Vanilluxe was shocked at this exchange, before worryingly saying, "N-now let's not rush into anything now. Can't we solve this peacefully-"

His words were interrupted though when Granbull let out a loud roar, rushing at the two players in front of her with snapping jaws, before jumping in the air with her claws out, ready to tear into the monkey in front of her, all while screaming at the ice cream, "Shut the hell up!"

As this happened, Vanilluxe blinked, before looking down in shame, muttering to himself, "...They were right about you after all."

As he said this, the mutt's eyes widened, before intentionally missing Infernape, leaving him confused. Growling under her breath, she glared at the ice cream, before stomping towards him, "The hell did you just say?"

The mutt began to move closer and closer towards Vanilluxe, as he took a deep breath. After a moment, he stated, "You know Granbull, you aren't a very kind person. I have done nothing but try and think the best of you, and all you've done in return is react violently and cruelly towards others."

Granbull's mouth began to slobber, as she began to growl louder. He continued, "I thought you could have been nice, and that maybe you were just going through some stuff, but now I see clearly," he stopped, before making his best attempt at a serious expression, "You're a very mean person!"

As he said this though, he hadn't even noticed Granbull was jumping through the air plummeting towards him with a hateful look. His eyes widened in fear, as she landed right on top of him, before beginning to slash at him. His ice cream outside easily tore with each scratch, as she began to scream.

"Shut up! What, do you think you're better than me just because you're fucking nice?! You're not! I'm the strongest," she slashed again, this time hitting the cone and beginning to slightly crack it, "I'm the smartest! I'm the best damn person on this island because I get shit done! All of you pieces of shit are too damn cowardly to do anything but cower away like the pathetic pieces of shit you are! If I have learned anything from this cruel world, it's that you need to be cruel back if you want to survive!"

The other Azelf's team members stared at the pair in shock. Infernape sprinted towards them, but his old age couldn't make him as fast as he used to be.

Leavanny snapped her head at her teammates, "We need to help him!"

"No way!" Octillery said, moving backward, looking scared, "I ain't gonna become her next chew toy!"

As Granbull prepared a final slash to shatter Vanilluxe's cone, she heard him say, "...I...What do you mean...By being cruel back?"

As he said this though, she brought down her paw, ready to shatter him...Before she suddenly felt her arm stop, not by choice, but by force. Blinking to herself, she glanced up, before her eyes widened above her. Floating just above her was a large creature, a tuft of cloud over his head. He only appeared as shadowy figure above her, the only thing standing out in the darkness being his shining, bright red eyes, which stared right through her with the fiercest glare she thought possible.

As she looked up in horror, the figure simply stated, "...Strike three."

Suddenly, she found her throat suddenly get grabbed onto, as he began to hoist Granbull up into the air. As she struggled in his grip, he only tightened it, looking heartlessly into her eyes as she pleaded for mercy through her pained tears, "W-wait! I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I swear!"

The figure did not respond, before simply stating, "...The strong are meant to defend...All you do is hurt."

As he said this, he suddenly flew away with the dog in hand. Her screams being heard from miles away before suddenly, all was quiet. Not a sound left from anyone as they stared on in horror. Granbull had just completely disappeared from sight, and only a single figure could say a word.

"...And I'm having nightmares tonight." Araquanid stated, before beginning to walk inside the base with a terrified expression.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Vanilluxe:** (He gave the camera an awkward stare, as he looked over his beaten body) ...What did she mean by needing to be cruel to survive?

 **Leavanny:** Every day I'm on this island, I've seen more and more reasons why these shows are heinous. (She glared at the camera) The fact that Granbull made it on is only further proof of that. I have suspicion that the producers brought her on just to create drama. (She folded her arms) Well, purpose served.

 **Purugly:** (She smirked at the camera) Yeah, I told Granbull about her team planning to throw the challenge. Why did I tell her? You see, as long as she's around, she'll only cripple her own team. So the idea is make the Awesome Azelfs lose and vote off their strongest players, while Granbull keep torturing her team to the point they can't possibly win any challenge. All while my team gets to stay on top. (She frowned) Of course, it wouldn't work now, as god knows what Drifblim is doing to her. (She smirked again) But it was worth a try. After all, I'm someone who'd be willing to try _anything_. (She winked)

* * *

Around the same time Drifblim had taken the frightened Granbull away, Ursaring and Furret remained on the beach, continuing to build their sandcastles.

"Gotta say, Furret, your sandcastle is a hell of a lot better than mine," Ursaring said, smiling at Furret's well-sculptured sandcastle.

"Thanks!" Furret showed the biggest smile she had made all day. She looked at the sandcastle, proud of what she had made, "I like to make things creative. You may need to work on yours better."

Ursaring chuckled, looking at his poorly made sandcastle. It looked more like a squashed castle rather than a proper one. "It's good to see that smile of yours getting bigger," he commented, his smile growing a little as well.

"I feel a lot better than I was this morning," Furret's mouth flipped into a frown, "However, I'll only truly be better when our team sends Granbull home tomorrow."

An explosion occurred next to them, making the sand shower in all directions. Ignoring the sand raining on them, the pair screamed and scrambled away. They looked around in all direction, wondering where the attack. They stopped when they heard a groan. They turned and see an arm popped out of the sand, and then Ninjask's upper body popped up afterward, gasping for air.

Ursaring and Furret stopped screaming upon realizing it was just the bug, and soon just looked confused. After a moment, Ursaring said, "Um...You okay there little fella?"

Thinking they were about to attack him, Ninjask pulled himself out of the sand and made a pose, "Back off! Or else face the wrath of a master of nunchak-"

He reached for some kind of weapon...Only to realize Komala was holding onto them. Ninjask gasped, before wildly flinging them through the air, "Komala! Get off my stuff!"

"Don't just stand there!" Furret pointed to the exposed statue inside her base, "Destroy the base now!"

Ninjask finally stopped flinging the weapon around, instead stopping completely, as Komala just popped off the nunchaku. Glaring down at the koala for a moment, the ninja turned to Furret, "Wait, you guys _want_ me to destroy your stuff?"

"It's so we can send Granbull home," Ursaring said, stood up.

Ninjask blinked, before staring at his weapon, "Well, guess bringing this was kinda pointless, but whatever. Either way we're still winning I guess," he began to look around, "So...Where is your base exactly?"

Ursaring rose a brow, "What do you mean, it's right her-"

He turned, only for his face to pale. The base was just...Gone. There were no signs that it was ever even there.

"Does that mean we lose?" Furret asked, scratching her head in confusion.

The intercom crackled, as Azelf's voice announced, "Nope! The statue has to be destroyed."

Furret and Ursaring blinked, before looking downcast at this news, as they slumped down on the sand in defeat. However, as this happened, a certain koala emerged on the surface of the water, sleeping calmly as she held onto a statue. Slowly, she drifted to shore, as she continued to hold on tight. After a moment, Ninjask noticed this, before flying over to the sleeping girl.

Blinking, he looked at his nunchaku, before swinging down onto the statue, missing Komala, but shattering the object into many pieces. As this happened, he happily cheered, "I don't have to sleep in the woods tonight!"

The intercom came to life once again. Azelf's voice was heard once more, "And Ninjask has shattered the Mesprit's statue, garnering the Mysterious Mesprits last place in today's challenge!"

Furret and Ursaring's eyes widened in shock, before suddenly turning their heads to the bug. After a moment, he shrugged, "So...What's up-"

He was interrupted upon suddenly, his body gripped by Ursaring's arms, as the bear began to happily cheer, "And the dog leaves tomorrow!"

Ninjask gasped and groaned in pain, as he barely gasped out, "C-can't b-breathe…"

A grin split across Furret's face and pumped her paws in the air. On the inside, she was screaming and jumping for joy.

As these celebrations happened among them though, Komala just slept calmly on the beach, not noticing a thing that was happening.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Ursaring:** (He happily strung his guitar, as he smiled at the camera) I'm preparing a goodbye song for Granbull. She may have been a bad person, but that doesn't mean I can't send her off with a little diddy.

 **Furret:** (She let out a huge sigh of relief and smiled) Thank GOD for that! I was worried she may turn into a recurring antagonist, or worse, the main villain, but as long as no idol is being used tomorrow, we can finally kick her out of the island! Things looking brighter already!

 **Ninjask:** (He gasped for air, before happily saying) I helped my team...Not get last. That should help me stick around longer, right?

* * *

The Azelfs' offensive group were flying through the woods, now on high alert as they searched for the Unique Uxie's base. Now that they didn't have to worry about getting stuck with the shack, they were determined to try and get back into the inn that night. As they raced through the forest, Xatu began to gaze at something above them.

Zebstrika glanced up at her, noticing this, "Yo, what's up?"

The bird simply replied, "Their base."

The zebra rose a brow, "Wait, what?"

Coming to a halt, he looked up, and to his surprise, standing high in the trees was a large fort, which had been expertly camouflaged with a large amount of mud and leaves. Zebstrika let out a whistle of surprise, as Yanmega flew over to the two.

Soon, the dragonfly stated, "Well, come on Xatu, let's go win this thing!"

The bird nodded in response, as both flew up towards the base, leaving Zebstrika behind on the ground. As they did this, the zebra just groaned, "...Well, guess I'll just wait down here."

Yanmega halted in mid-air, and then flew back down to Zebstrika, and whispering into his ears. As Yanmega talked, a smile appeared on Zebstrika's face. When he finished whispering, the zebra Pokemon nodded. Yanmega flew upward again, now with a plan.

Inside the tree base, Turtonator and Jellicent remained by their team's statue. Neither have interacted since the start, and the former didn't plan to make any more conversation with the latter. Turtonator kept glancing around the room, until a lightning bolt appeared outside their base, making Turtonator jump and yelp in surprise. Jellicent jumped as well, but refrained herself from screaming out. Although, she thought she felt something.

"They're here!" Turtonator shouted, running over to Jellicent, ready to use her attacks at moment's notice. A quieter scream came out of her mouth when the second lightning bolt appeared, "Get ready, Jellicent!"

Jellicent gave her a small nod, and then faced towards the window where the lightning bolt had appeared.

An Air Slash crashed through the fort's wall, hitting Turtonator and Jellicent. The pair cried out. Turtonator fell to her hands and knees.

Jellicent quickly turned, seeing Yanmega flying through the wall, reaching for the statue. She used Water Pulse at him, hitting him directly.

"Ees t'nac I! Tihs!" Yanmega said, flying around the room, his eyes twirled meaning the effect had made him confused.

Turtonator slowly got back on two feet, just as Jellicent launched a Shadow Ball at the confused Yanmega, who turned at the last second, narrowly avoiding the Shadow Ball, which hit the wall, leaving a gaping hole.

Jellicent was about to launch another Shadow Ball, when Yanmega turned and crashed into Turtonator, who was turning around, knocking them onto the floor. Jellicent floated towards the pair, intending on disposing of the confused dragonfly, when she paused. For some reason, she couldn't move.

"Future Sight. It comes in handy in many scenarios."

Jellicent glanced through the corner of her eyes, seeing Xatu standing near the statue. She could've sworn she saw a playful smirk on her beak. The next thing she knew, the power of Future Sight made its mark, causing her to scream and throw herself out of the tree fort. A loud crash could be heard outside.

Xatu walked over to the statue. With one swing of her wing, she shattered the object into pieces, letting it scatter across the floor.

The intercom crackled on once more. Azelf voice was heard with glee in his voice, "Attention, campers! The Unique Uxies's statue has been destroyed! Meaning the Awesome Azelfs are the winners!"

Turtonator pushed Yanmega off of her and groaned, allowing herself to lie on the floor. By then, the confusion had worn off, allowing Yanmega to cheer and fly around the room. He paused in front of Xatu, giving her a huge grin.

"Xatu, that was an awesome move, using Future Sight like that!"

Xatu nodded and returned a small smile, "Your praise has been duly noted."

"I've gotta give Zebstrika some mad props for his lightning skills!" He flew out of the hole, hollering and praising his teammate below.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Zebstrika:** (He showed a smile) Man, winning this challenge is a huge morale booster, especially when you're one of the reasons for said win! Hopefully, it allows my teammates to forget my…Blabber mouth.

 **Jellicent:** (She groaned, rubbing her head) Couldn't Xatu take it easy with Future Sight? But still, it was a clever move. I didn't see it coming at all. Guess that's another contestant I'm going to have to watch out for. But really, at this point? I should probably watch out for everyone. Just need to figure out who's the biggest threat. (She gritted her teeth, feeling a sharp pain in her head) God, Future Sight _is_ as painful as everyone claimed to be.

 **Turtonator:** (She looked slightly annoyed) I would've prefered our team claim victory, but we've still manage to claim immunity so that's all that's matters. (She showed a tiny smile) Two in twenty five is better than two in twenty six.

* * *

 **Campground**

Everyone returned to the campground to meet up with the hosts. However, all of them were staring at a certain pair, some more shocked than others.

"Drifblim," Uxie said, looking like he would've opened his eyes if it wasn't the fact he didn't want to erase other people's memories, "What on _earth_ did you do to her?"

The blimp blinked, before glancing to the mutt beside him. Unlike before, she was now in a wheelchair, covered in bandages from head to toe. Her eyes looked as if she had gone through several traumatic experiences in the past few hours, as her eyes nervously darted from side to side, with them always growing wider when she accidentally glanced at Drifblim, and usually causing her to flinch back in fear.

Drifblim looked away from her, before giving Uxie a look, "I taught her some manners. I don't expect her to hurt anyone ever again. And if she does," he turned back to the injured mutt, "I will find her and teach her them again."

These words caused Granbull to let out a scream, which was muffled due to the large body cast, but still was loud enough to get across her legitimate fear of the blimp. After a moment, some of the contestants couldn't help but notice a tear rolling down the left side of her face.

Azelf blinked, before rubbing the back of his head nervously. He turned to Uxie, "Look, I know we agreed that the elimination ceremony wouldn't be held until tomorrow," he then glanced at the injured dog, "But...Considering we both already know who'll be leaving anyways, should we just hold it today?"

Uxie stared at his brother for a moment, before nodding, "Yes, might as well. No use delaying the inevitable, considering she isn't even in a state to convince the others that she should stay anyways," he turned to the Mysterious Mesprits, "So, meet me down at the bonfire in ten minutes. We all already know who will be leaving, but regardless, make sure to leave your votes in the confessional as soon as you're able."

* * *

 **Elimination Ceremony**

The scene cut away to a new scene, now focusing on a campfire pit. Thirteen logs laid spread out across the small area, and the slightly dimmer sky gave off a more foreboding atmosphere. The nine members of the Mysterious Mesprits sat on the logs available, as they stared on at Mesprit, who floated by the podium in front of the team. Azelf and Uxie sat in the back, and two bleachers filled with the immune players stood even further back.

Mesprit let out a sympathetic sigh, "I don't think I need to even reveal the results tonight, do I?"

The Mysterious Mesprits all looked among themselves, before each cast a look at Granbull, who already downcast as is, and didn't even react to the stares she was receiving. As this happened, Mesprit said, "Usually, we'd give out the Oran Berries one by one to invoke drama, but since there's really no point tonight due to it being unanimous among those who voted-"

Bastiodon raised his hand, "Wait, can we get the Oran Berries anyways?"

His teammates around him gave him a series of looks, as he glared at all of them, "What? I woke up too late for breakfast. I'm starving!"

Uxie rolled his eyes, before turning towards a certain mutt, "Granbull aka Greta Penfold, you have received every vote tonight, with exception of your own and apparently one other player, since you can't really do so in your current condition and they abstained completely."

Azelf's voice rang in from the back, "And under our rules of the competition, this means you have officially been eliminated from Total Pokemon Alphabetical. Though honestly, if we were allowed to do medevacs, we probably would have just eliminated you that way so this wasn't nearly as gloomy for us."

The dog did not react to this, as she continued to look downcast, not staring anyone in the eyes. As this happened, Azelf turned to the contestants, "If anyone wishes to say goodbye to Granbull, now's your chance. Otherwise, head back to the cabins and get some sleep. You all earned it."

* * *

 **{{Voting Confessionals}}**

 **Bastiodon:** We _all_ know who's getting the vote tonight. Considering I gave up my spot in the inn for this, Granbull deserved this fate she got. (He growled to himself) I could have been spending the night laying in a hot tub if she wasn't such a bitch! So seeya, mutt!

 **Espeon:** (She seemed to be doing some kind of prayer, before looking at the camera) Regardless of my feelings towards Granbull, she did not deserve that. She may have been heartless, but pain on such a caliber is something that no mortal should endure. (She began to glare at the camera) Though in the end, this has at least proven to me that there is an actual devil on this island. But in the end, I have to eliminate Granbull, if only because she's still dangerous.

 **Furret:** (She was shaking, before looking at the camera) I don't think Granbull deserved that, but I still think my stay here will be more enjoyable without her around.

 **Granbull:** (She just laid in the confessional with a depressed expression, as she stared at her bandaged body)

 **Meowstic:** (He shrugs to the camera) Hey, coming out here, you kinda have to be aware of the fact that you might get hurt a little. Sure, Granbull got hurt a lot more than a little, but really, she should have been more prepared. And since she's kinda useless in this state, along with me just not liking her, I think it's safe to say who I want gone.

 **Raichu:** (He wiped sweat off his head) Man, I am glad I'm one of the few who might be on Drifblim's good side, because if today's an example of what he might do to the people he hates, than man, I am really dodging a bullet. Anyways, bye Granbull, won't really miss you.

 **Ursaring:** (He sighed) Dang nabit...Guess that elimination song will have to wait. Either way though, while I don't approve of what happened to her, Granbull still makes folks here uncomfortable. I have to vote her off.

 **Vanilluxe:** (He gave the camera a sad look) ...After what Granbull said about cruelty...Is it possible that underneath that outer shell, there's a reason behind her hatred? (He sighed to himself) ...Even after what happened today, I refuse to vote for Granbull. I know she's leaving already, but it just doesn't feel right. But before she leaves...Maybe I can let her know some things...Some of which I think she needs to hear.

 **Wormadam:** (She flashed a grin from behind her shades) Thus, _justice has been served!_ Man, I should consider giving that blimp a badge. For now, he's alright in my book. Kind of a vigilante, but hey, he just did what we all wanted him too. Either way, Granbull's outta here!

* * *

As Granbull was rolled down to the dock, she sighed, noticing that only Vanilluxe had come to see her off. As she waited for the Wailord to arrive to take her back home, as the ice cream gave her an awkward look. Both of them didn't really look the best at the moment. Vanilluxe's cone was scratched badly and had several minor cracks, and Granbull look like a medical experiment gone wrong. As they stared at each other, Vanilluxe said.

"You said back in the cave, that in order to survive in today's world, you need to be as cruel back to it as it is to you," he gave her a empathetic look, "...Do you...Not have a very good life back home, Granbull?"

The dog didn't respond, both due to her dislike of Vanilluxe, and the fact her mouth was bandaged shut, as she began to stare out at the sea, continuing to wait for the impending whale to eventually show up. As she waited, she heard the ice cream continue.

"Well, either way, I guess you aren't ready to change that perspective to better yourself. You've probably just grown used to acting this way, and no matter how hard I try, I probably won't be able to fix that," he stared down at the mutt, who growled to herself, "...But really, when you get home, please get some help from people you know care. Just...Anyone will do. I don't want you to live this way the rest of your life."

Granbull barely turned her head to barely choke out a muffled bark at Vanilluxe, as he looked down in sadness, "It's none of my business though, so I won't force you to do that. But I will leave you with this."

He gave her a smile, "I still forgive you for today's events."

Her glare did not disappear, but to his surprise, it did soften a little. As she turned back, the Wailord was approaching. Soon enough, she was on it's back, as it began to bring her to who's knows where. As they sailed across the horizon, Vanilluxe waved with one of his heads, before beginning to float back to camp himself.

As he made his way through the forest though, he heard a sound from behind him, "I'm so sorry!"

Turning his head, he was met with seeing Turtonator standing there, tears in her eyes, as she ran up to him, "I can't believe I allowed this to happen. I shouldn't have made such a stupid plan to keep our relationship secret. If I hadn't, maybe I could have found you before what happened-"

As she rambled though, she was interrupted by a light-hearted laugh. Looking up, she saw that Vanilluxe was flashing her his signature smile, "Darling, it's okay. This isn't your fault. Now please stop worrying yourself silly like this over me and my own stupidity."

He continued to smile at her, as her tears began to stop, "Now come on, let's see that smile that made me fall for you in the first place."

As he said this, Turtonator couldn't help but smile a little, before enveloping him in a hug, "How did I ever end up with someone like you?"

Vanilluxe chuckled, "I ask myself that too. You're obviously way too good for me."

As the two continued to embrace though, a certain gremlin watched from the trees, snickering to herself as she began to take out a journal. As she wrote the notes down, she whispered to herself, " _Busted…_ "

* * *

All three hosts were at the dock where Granbull was last seen before leaving the island.

"This is not how I wanted our first elimination to turn out," Mesprit said with a sympathetic look.

"It'll be a memorable one that's for sure," Uxie shrugged, "Besides, most likely will get us decent ratings."

Azelf gave him a look, "Wow, real nice."

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Please, she was a menace and you know it. At least now she's gone and we won't have to ever deal with her again."

Azelf growled at his brother, before stating, "Anyways, things are already starting to get intense, and soon, so many things will come to the center of attention."

Mesprit cheerily said, "Will Sableye reveal Turtonator and Vanilluxe's marriage?"

Uxie deadpanned, "How will Drifblim be seen after what he did to Granbull?"

Azelf soon cut in, pushing the other two away before giving the camera a cocky grin, "And who will be the next Pokemon to walk the dock off the island?"

He pointed towards the camera, "Find out next time, on…"

"Total," Mesprit happily said.

"Pokemon," Azelf entered as well, his confidence showing through.

"...Alphabetical," Uxie said in an uncaring, monotone voice, as he gave his siblings an apathetic look.

* * *

 _ **{{Vote Count}}**_

 _ **Granbull: Seven votes (Bastiodon, Espeon, Furret, Meowstic, Raichu, Ursaring, Wormadam)**_

 _ **Didn't Vote: (Granbull, Vanilluxe)**_

* * *

 **Unique Uxie** \- Chandelure, Jellicent, Komala, Ninjask, Purugly, Quagsire, Sableye, Turtonator

 **Mysterious Mesprit** \- Bastiodon, Espeon, Furret, Meowstic, Raichu, Ursaring, Vanilluxe, Wormadam

 **Amazing Azelf** \- Araquanid, Drifblim, Hydreigon, Infernape, Leavanny, Octillery, Xatu, Yanmega, Zebstrika

 **Eliminated** \- Granbull

* * *

 _ **Xebla :**_ And so, our first eliminated contestant of the series is none other than Granbull!

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ And good riddance. I know she was kinda important for morality and everything, but goddamn, she was so uncomfortable to write.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Granbull is probably the closest this series will have to offer to a Complete Monster.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Yep. She was basically meant to represent the kind of person that has literally no care for anything other than their own personal enjoyment. She has reasons for why she's this way of course. Nobody's just naturally evil with nothing else to them, as hinted with a few select moments, but she was still a terrible person who abused everyone around her and tried to basically turn herself into a tyrant for her team.

 _ **Xebla :**_ In the end, her actions are what left her in Drifblim's hands, which we should probably considers the most dangerous place on Earth.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Ah yes, Drifblim...Don't fuck with him or what he believes to be basic morals. Though due to how badly he messed up Granbull, it's easy to say he won't be having the easiest time next episode.

 _ **Xebla :**_ There are still twenty five contestants left, and many plots are starting to form. One of my favourite scene has to be Leavanny and Xatu in the Golden Inn. It felt so natural.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ And that's my personal favorite of the episode myself as well. I also admittedly really liked writing the scenes with Araquanid and Octillery. They were honestly super relatable and fun for me.

 _ **Xebla :**_ And for me as well. With Fuzz's portrayal of Araquanid, and my portrayal of Octillery had create some memorable scenes.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ But enough about us gushing about our favorite moments, and instead, let's get back to our normal lives...Or at you get back to yours. I clearly live on the internet.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Well, starting now, we're going to start eliminating people we actually like. So this shit is gonna be hard!

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Yep...Eliminations in general are gonna be brutal.

* * *

 _ **Granbull :**_ (She remained silent until she muttered a word) ...Review...I guess.


	3. Curse of the Confidant!

_**Xebla:**_ Okay, we're back at writing fabulous episode of Total Pokemon Alphabetical! If only more people would read this…

 _ **Fuzzboy:**_ Don't worry, people will start reading eventually.

 _ **Xebla:**_ Maybe when we write the second season - assuming we're planning it - our series will become popular like DA's series had!

 _ **Fuzzboy:**_ Stop trying to compare yourself, it just makes your expectations rise too high. And let's just get to the end of this season before we start planning more.

 _ **Xebla:**_ Fair enough. I'll just focus on our story, which I'm enjoying so far!

 _ **Fuzzboy:**_ Agreed, now let's get started.

 **(Disclaimer) :** We do not own any of the Pokemon except their original personalities. Nor any content from Total Drama.

* * *

 **Episode 3 - Curse of the Confidant!**

* * *

 _ **Day 3 - Challenge/Elimination Day**_

* * *

The camera jittered slightly for a moment, before the scene suddenly sprouted to life, revealing a dock in front of the camera. It was just past eight it seems in terms of time, and the sky was a darkened color, as clouds began to pour in on the horizon, covering the sky. Three Pokemon stood on the dock, as they stared at the camera.

"It's feel weird to be doing a recap on our challenge day," Mesprit said, rubbing her arm.

"Seriously?" Uxie gave her a look, "We're only three episodes in. I wouldn't compare to this show's normality before reaching the end of the first half."

"But given what our cast is like so far, I don't think we'll ever reach normality," Azelf said to him.

"I suppose you're right for a change," Uxie pulled a face, "It's rather strange agreeing with you on something."

Azelf shuddered, "Totally."

"I'll start us off with this recap," Mesprit said, giving her brothers a smirk before smiling at the camera, "Last time on Total Pokemon Alphabetical! Our twenty six contestants were getting comfortable sleeping in their new homes. Some were more pleased than the others."

"And by others, you mean everyone apart from Granbull?" Uxie said, "Then wouldn't 'some' exclusively refer to her?"

"The campers were obviously not very happy with Granbull terrorizing them every day and night. She pushed her team to the edge with each passing moment, getting to a point where they planned to throw the challenge just to vote her off," Azelf frowned, "Wish they didn't have to do that so soon."

"Can you blame them?" Uxie said, "I'd report her to the police if she killed someone here," He looked at the camera, "Which Granbull almost did with Vanilluxe, who tried to become her friend in a hopeless chance of turning her into a better person," He shook his head, "Granbull was right about one thing though, Vanilluxe was indeed gullible."

"Hey, at least he tried when no one else would!" Mesprit said, glaring at him, "For that, I'm rooting for him to win."

"He's on your team, of course you would support him," Uxie said, returning a glare.

"With all that, Granbull was left in Drifblim's hands and got herself thrown into a wheelchair," Azelf looked at his siblings, concerned, "Did you guys see where he took her?"

"I did," Uxie groaned, slightly shuddering to himself, "In times like these, I wish I couldn't see with my mind."

"In the end, it was Granbull, aka Greta Penfold, who became the first ever eliminated contestant on this show," Mesprit stared at the floor, looking upset, "I hope the other eliminations won't be like this."

"We still have to eliminate twenty four players before we've found our winner," Azelf said, placing a hand to her back, giving her a sympathetic look.

Uxie looked at the camera, "In the meantime, what will Sableye do next, now knowing about Turtonator and Vanilluxe's relationship?"

"Can Komala find more idols before anyone else?" Azelf asked, smiling.

"And how will our remaining contestants handle our 'C' challenge?" Mesprit showed a small smile, "Find out on Total!"

"Pokemon," Uxie deadpanned, barely putting any effort into what he said.

"Alphabetical!" Azelf said, spreading his arms in a grand gesture.

* * *

As the hosts finished the recap, the contestants were beginning to make their way back to camp. Almost all of which were trying their best to stay a decent distance away from a certain blimp, as Espeon glared at him with fiery eyes, full of some kind of unspoken rage.

Ursaring noticed this, and nudged her, "What's with the angry eyes, Espeon?"

"His actions against Granbull, although well-intended, put her in a wheelchair. No pure hearted person would commit such a thing," Her eyes never leave Drifblim, "I just hope his team will do the right thing and expel him from the game."

Ursaring looked off put by Espeon's anger. Towards Granbull makes sense, but Drifblim? He was unsure. "Uh… I wouldn't say he's as bad as Granbull. After all, he did save Vanilluxe's life. Wouldn't that count for somethin'?"

"It's still unnecessary for him to resort to her level. There were better ways to handle her, but not violence. It only leads to more bloodshed."

Ursaring felt Espeon's glares brought chills down his spines and looked at Drifblim, who didn't seem to even be acknowledging what happened.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Ursaring:** Ever since Espeon found out about what Drifblim did to Granbull, she seems to hate him almost as much as the dog. Sure he scared me, but I believed he just did what he had to do to teach the dog a lesson. Harsh, but it definitely worked. (He looked anxious) God, hope he wouldn't do that to me.

 **Espeon:** It is in a time of crisis when we discover our true selves. Drifblim exposed his when he unleashed his wrath upon Granbull. I'm relieved that a devil has been expelled, but another took her place. (She narrowed her eyes at the camera) Fear the wrathful devil, thy name...Drifblim.

* * *

Purugly was walking beside her teammates, shooting them a flirty stare. This caused Chandelure and Ninjask to float ahead, while Quagsire gave her a dopey grin and waved. He followed the other boys to be included. Purugly frowned, not receiving the attention she desired.

She felt a yank on her tail, "Ow!" She snapped her head behind her, seeing Sableye giving her a grin. She shot her a glare and removed her tail from the little gremlin, "Careful with it. It's one of my prized body parts!"

"Remind me about that later so I can tell the others about it," Sableye said, "I need to talk to you about what happened at the challenge today. You _know_ what I'm talking about."

Purugly's eyes widened a bit, before frowning. She looked at the other contestants walking past her and then nodded at a spot nearby, away from the others. Sableye followed her to a tree where they could have a tiny spot of privacy.

The little gremlin snapped her head at her, "You still haven't answered my question from the challenge. Why were you so keen on taking out the Awesome Azelf?" Purugly opened her mouth, but Sableye cut her off, "And don't give me that 'just because' answer, because I _know_ you had interior motives! So what is it?"

Purugly remained silent.

Believing her silent was a sign of withholding secrets, Sableye opened her mouth, but Purugly cut her off.

"Tell you what, I'll tell you everything you want to hear," The fat cat leaned forward, giving her a flirty smirk, "If…We could have some fun in _private_ ," She purred at the last word.

Sableye opened her mouth, but no word had come out of it, baffled by Purugly's reply. She didn't react when Purugly stepped forward and used her tail to rub her back, causing her to shiver.

"Oh, you like that?" Purugly whispered, using her tail to bring Sableye closer, bringing the pair only inches away from their faces, "I can give you so _much_ more than that," She planted her lips onto Sableye's lips.

Sableye remained still, feeling the fat cat's lips tasting hers, but only for a second. She screamed and pushed her away, scrambling away until she was several feet from her. She shot her a glare and pointed at her, "I know you're doing it to distract me, but it's not gonna work! This only further proves your hidden agenda!" She ran away, catching up with the other contestants, shaking her fist at her, "I will find out the truth!"

Purugly rolled her eyes and chuckled. She walked back onto the path, licking her lips. She shrugged, "Tasted better than the last Sableye."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** (She kept spitting and rubbing her lips) Ew! That's disgusting! I may be into girls, but Purugly? Her species name has the word, 'ugly' in it for a reason! (She growled) I'm telling the others about this! They were already suspicious of her before, and this will brand her as an unwanted threat!

 **Purugly:** I'm not even into women, but I have fucked them in the past for the viewers' pleasure. I thought by doing the same to that girl, I could try to stop her from spilling. (She shrugged) Not a huge problem with me. (She showed a playful smirk) I'm just glad I've finally got to kiss someone here. Spoiler alert, Sableye won't be the last.

* * *

"Still mad about what I've said you being rejected by every girl in college?" Octillery asked, seeing Araquanid's grumpy mood.

Araquanid rolled his eyes, "No, I'm totally happy to remember that."

Octillery deadpanned, "Sarcastic mode. Yep, you're pissed off."

The spider gave her a look, "Well, no duh I am. That isn't exactly a fond thing for me to constantly be teased about back home, so yeah, doesn't really help hearing it here as well."

"Had you ever thought about why it happened to you? Nobody gets rejected that long unless they had totally good reasons."

Araquanid sighed, "It's because I'm an awkward fuck-up. Again, not the first time I've heard this."

"You can get outta of that funk. You've gotta get rid of the awkward guy," She said, before the spider turned to her.

"Don't you think I've tried that? I've attended self-esteem classes, I've gone out of my way to hang out with others to become more social, I've even got out of my way to actually attend events just to talk to people," he glared to himself, "But every time, the only thing that happens is that people hang that little fact over my head every moment of the goddamn day!"

Octillery couldn't help but chuckle to herself, "That never happens to me. Wherever I goes, people totally wanna hang out with me. I'm like a total babe magnet!"

As she said this, she noticed him growl at her, "Yeah, no need to rub it in."

Octillery shrugged, "Maybe me being around you could totally help you finally get a girlfriend. Unless you're into boys. I don't judge."

Araquanid glanced at her for a moment, before staying silent, oddly speeding up to catch up with the others, leaving Octillery alone. The octopus Pokemon remained silent, until she noticed Xatu was flying above her, looking down at her.

"All of us are fragile to some degree. A few of us, including Araquanid are on a higher scale. I'd tread on that topic lightly if I was you," She flapped her wings and flew ahead.

Octillery stared at her and then rolled her eyes, "Whatev."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Octillery:** Fragile? I'm not fragile if that's what you'd think I am! (She patted her body and grinned) I'm solid proof, baby! (She stopped smiling) Still…Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh on Araquanid.

 **Araquanid:** (He was looking at the floor, before sighing) Look, dating's hard for me to talk about or even think about sometimes. Back home, everyone makes fun of me for it. Even some of the adults will mention it sometimes. I guess it's just...Hard to believe that nobody likes me that way. (He groaned to himself, before facepalming), God, I probably look pathetic right now.

* * *

 _ **Day 4 - Relaxation Day**_

* * *

 **Mess Hall**

Holding a notepad under her arm, Furret walked into the Mess Hall, yawning. Halfway through the room, she stopped and looked to her right. The contestants' portraits were still there with one major change. Granbull's portrait was now resting above 26th place with her real name, Greta Penfold, revealed. Her picture was also grayed out, looking completely black and white.

Suddenly, a voice sounded off in her ear, "I wish I could have gotten to know the doggy. She might have been nice."

Furret turned around, seeing Quagsire nearby, staring at Granball's portrait. She stared at the floor, "Nice wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe her."

The water fish gave her a friendly smile, "Everyone's nice, it just takes a little more to bring that out for some. Nobody's purely a big meanie, everyone has a good side to them," he turned his smile to her picture, "Maybe she needed some more time to really show her truly good colors."

Furret couldn't help but smile at the goofball, "I agree. I learned my mistakes from that when I was writing my characters," She stopped smiling, "Vanilluxe tried to help her, but it almost gotten him killed. Even after spending my first night without her, I can't help but feel anxious, wondering if Granbull would suddenly appear out of nowhere and maul me."

Quagsire gave her a comforting grin, "You know what an anxious mind needs to turn into a relaxed mind?"

Furret raised a brow, "What's that?"

He struck a pose similar to a superhero's, as he pointed towards the counter, "A healthy breakfast with cuddly animals!"

As he said this, he whistled out into the woods, as a familiar Ducklett ran into the room, before jumping into Quagsire's arms, cuddling up to the water fish, as he began to hug the duck close to his body, his dopey grin still placed firmly on his face.

A smile appeared on Furret's face once more, watching a sweet bond between a talking Pokemon and a wild Pokemon. She took one last look at Granball's portrait before walking over to Mesprit.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** Knowing that this island has one less person than yesterday truly set in stone that the competition had started. The idea of outlasting just one person has gave me chills, meaning I'm a step closer to winning the game. (She smiled) I'm nervous, but at the same time, I'm excited!

 **Quagsire:** (He held Jojo close to his body, before smiling at the camera) Furret's a nice girl, so I don't want her to feel so anxious. After all, this is a game we're supposed to have fun in, and she deserves to have as much fun as the rest of us. (His smile grew wider) And I promise I'll try to make every day of her's brighter while we're playing the game.

* * *

Almost an hour later, most of the cast was sitting in the Mess Hall, not only enjoying their breakfast, but to revel the fact that Granbull was no longer amongst them. However, all of them at one point glanced at Drifblim, knowing full well of his action against the monstrous dog. Soon though, he stared up at them, giving them all his usual cold stare, which caused them to all instantly glance away, with exception of Hydreigon, Quagsire, Raichu, and Zebstrika, all of which either smiled or waved at him.

Vanilluxe was eating his breakfast when he saw Turtonator sat at her team's table, facing him. He gave her his usual smiles. Turtonator saw it and returned a smile.

Peering through the window inside the building, Sableye looked at the couple's exchanging smiles. A grin of her own split across her face. She tiptoed away from the window.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** Last night, I uncovered a shocking revelation that Turtonator and Vanilluxe are married! The fact the others didn't know about it means they must be hiding their relationship to benefit themselves in the game. Well, no more! (She slammed a fist into her hand) It's time to expose them to everyone! (She showed a smug smirk) The way I'm going to reveal it will require subtlety, yet be obvious enough for everyone to understand the secret I'm about to unfold on them.

* * *

The contestants continued eating their breakfast and chatting amongst themselves, until they heard a loud feedback outside.

" _TURTONATOR AND VANILLUXE ARE MARRIED!"_

Turtonator's eyes bugged out and spit-taked her breakfast and coughed. Jellicent was covered in Turtonator's breakfast, not showing any emotion.

Sableye stepped into the room, talking through a megaphone while holding a sign showing Turtonator and Vanilluxe's face inside a heart, "TURTONATOR AND VANILLUXE ARE MARRIED! THEY'RE IN LOVE! THEY KNOW EACH OTHER! THEY LIED TO YOU ALL! THEY'RE MARRIED! M-A-R-R-I-E-D! MARRIED! MMMMMMAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIEEEEEEDDDDDD!"

She became silent, watching everyone's reaction unfolded before her, but none more so than the married couple themselves, who stared at her flabbergasted.

Sableye held the megaphone to her mouth again, "Turtonator and Vanilluxe are married," She said in a much calmer voice. She flashed the couple a huge grin.

The cast all turned to the two, who both glanced at one another with embarrassed blushes on their faces. Soon though, Quagsire stood up and started clapping loudly, "Congratulations to finding someone to love!"

Leavanny slapped her hand to her face at Quagsire's idiocy.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** (She pumped a fist) Nailed it!

 **Vanilluxe:** (He chuckled and showed his sheepish smiles) Well…The secret's out.

 **Turtonator:** (She slapped her hand to her face and groaned) And…Mine and Vanilluxe's chances of winning has decreased by seventy five percent. (She looked at the camera) But you know what? After what happened to Vanilluxe yesterday, I don't want him out of my sight for a second. (She sighed) Still…Finding an idol is now more important than ever.

* * *

The cast continued to stare a the two, before Drifblim began to make his way out of the mess hall, "Well, no use in bothering the two. This secret of theirs has done nothing to hurt anyone, and thus I see no reason to care about this in any meaningful way."

He then glared at Sableye, "But consider this strike one for you, since if these two didn't want it revealed, then you shouldn't have revealed it to everyone at this camp. I'm gonna be keeping an eye on you."

Feeling the blimp's glare seeping into her soul, Sableye gulped and quickly ran over to Mesprit, ignoring the glares she was receiving from Turtonator. Drifblim's glare did not leave the imp's eyes, until he turned to the turtle nearby and bowed, "I apologize that this secret is out."

Turtonator remained silent, but gave him a nod. She stared at her breakfast, not wanting to see her teammates' stares.

The Awesome Azelf watched Drifblim float out the building and then looked back at each other. Araquanid let out a loud gasp, before allowing his head to collapse on the table, "Jesus, I was so afraid I forgot to breathe."

"I can't blame you," Leavanny said, looking at the exit where Drifblim went through, "His actions yesterday have spoke louder than any word he could mutter."

"All the more reasons we vote him off when we lose our first challenge," Infernape said, before taking a bite of his tamoto berry.

"I can get down with that," Octillery said, nodding.

Zebstrika gave them all a weird look, before stating, "Um, you guys do get that he's our best player, right? Like, he's stronger than all of us combined. We can't just throw that away because the dude hurt one girl who almost killed someone."

"Even so, Drifblim isn't someone that I would put my faith in this game," Yanmega said, frowning, "He kept stepping up as a leader even though that role was supposed to be for _me_." He pointed to himself.

Xatu gave him a look, "He decided to step up and take control for one challenge, and you automatically assume we can't trust him? You're only leader in title, in the same way that Quagsire is for the Uxie. I say we all have the right to lead challenges."

Hydreigon soon entered, "Besides, his...Plan still helped...Us stay hidden...For a long while."

Infernape snorted, "For now,"

Zebstrika rose a brow, before rolling his eyes, "Yeah, I'm just gonna assume you two are biased and don't like the guy. Personally, I think he'll only be an advantage in this game, and you just want him gone for reasons we aren't aware of."

Xatu smiled to herself, "I'm aware of all, and their reasons are rather petty."

The zebra than pointed at the bird, "See, this is why I like you more than most of the people on the team," he realized how badly that sounded, before facepalming, "God dammit, I need to work on my fucking wording."

"Like us or not, think about it," Yanmega said, glaring at them, "At some point, we're going to be down to two players left to battle it out for the money. Do you guys really want to go against _Drifblim_?"

Zebstrika rose a brow, "Dude, there are twenty five people left. The final two is a long ways away, and trust me, the second the dude's actually a threat, people are obviously gunning for him. I just say we keep him around while we all have to work together. Simple as that."

Hydreigon giggled to herself, "Besides, he's a...Good guy...When you get...To know him."

"Let me know to get a panic room before I try to get to know the big guy," Octillery said.

Araquanid shivered himself, "Yeah, personally I'm just not gonna talk to him. But even I have to admit, while he scares the hell out of me, I don't actually want to vote him off. He really is an asset after all."

Leavanny nodded, "Agreed, because despite his violent attitude and lack of real manners in terms of speaking, he should be a valuable ally to us all the longer he's here."

As the three said this, Zebstrika smirked towards the monkey and dragonfly, "Huh, I just realized, you two are in the minority in wanting him gone. Guess your little grudge against the dude clearly ain't helping you much."

Infernape gripped what was left of his tamato berry hard enough to spill the remaining juice all over the table. Yanmega remained frowning.

"Geez, for military people, you guys suck at bringing the team together," Octillery said, giving the pair a smirk.

Araquanid let out a snicker at the comment, before forcing himself to stop, instead going silent and awkwardly looking away from the octopus, causing her to frown to herself.

As the team stared down the former soldiers, Infernape sighed to himself, before beginning to leave, grumbling, "Fine, be that way. See how far it takes you."

Zebstrika smirked, "Oh, we will."

The monkey growled at the zebra, before he left the room, with Yanmega following soon after.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Zebstrika:** (He gave the camera a determined look) While me and Drifblim may not be close, I do understand his reasoning for wanting to hurt Granbull, and along with that, the dude is a huge help to the team in terms of sheer power. The fact that those two were trying so hard to get rid of an otherwise totally useful player is both suspicious as hell to me, and firmly places those two in the minority. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if one of _them_ left when we eventually lose.

* * *

 **Campground**

Upon exiting the mess hall, Yanmega quickly began to scream in rage, as Infernape grumbled to himself. While the dragonfly began to grip the sides of his head in anger, the monkey had already begun to take puffs off of his cigar, as he began to lean against the side of the building.

Soon enough, Yanmega said, "What the hell are we gonna do now?"

Infernape rolled his eyes, "It isn't a big deal. We can still get them back on our side."

The dragonfly turned to him in fury, "How, huh? In case you didn't just realize, the second we said we wanted that prick gone, guess what, everyone ganged up on us! We're sorta in shit creek without a paddle right now."

Infernape groaned, "Would you calm dow-"

"No! I'm not gonna calm down! It was your idea to target him anyways!" Yanmega claimed, pointing at the monkey, before beginning to frantically fly in circles while grabbing onto his head in frustration.

Infernape growled, "Hey, you wanted him gone just as much as me. Didn't you start babbling off on some 'macho man' bullshit, claiming how you felt weak when he just took the power from you so easily?"

Yanmega threw a glare at him, "Shut it, I never said that!"

Infernape smirked, "Oh really, because I remember the discussion in detail after all. It was honestly a little pathetic sounding."

The dragonfly's glare grew colder, as he turned away, "Whatever, all I know now is that we're fucked. Unless we somehow turn the situation on it's head, one of us is leaving next."

Infernape took a puff off his cigar, "Well, then we're gonna have to do exactly that. But first, we need to find some of those idols."

"How? Last time, I had a clue to finding one, and when I did find it, the koala had already beaten me to it!" He groaned, gripping his head, "My peeps back home will never let me live that down."

Infernape smirked, "Well, think about it. She's just a little koala, so it shouldn't be too hard to take one off her-"

"Already tried. Trust me, she has a surprisingly strong grip on her," Yanmega deadpanned in quiet fury.

Infernape groaned, rubbing his head, "Well, then I guess that one's out of the picture. Either way though, we still need to get our hands on some. Preferably one that saves our asses while also taking out whoever we want to."

"Even if we somehow get rid of Drifblim, our teammates will just be pissed at us more than ever! We can't survive every elimination with an idol! Like the idea, but the chances are as good as finding a needle in a haystack." Yanmega said in a tone that had signaled that hope was dwindling, as he gave the monkey a desperate look.

"Well, we can't ask the others if they want to join our alliance and vote for someone other than Drifblim. Finding an idol is our best option right now."

Yanmega sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, looking at his ally, "So we're gonna search for one now?"

Infernape nodded, as he puffed out more smoke, "Yes, we should. Need to make the most of today, and the next two days to find one."

Yanmega sighed once more, before turning to the forest, "Well, may as well get started then. I'd personally prefer to find one as soon as possible, if only so I can at least sleep calmly tonight."

"Same. So where do you think we should start?"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Infernape:** (He takes a puff off his cigar, before glaring at the camera) Turns out that Drifblim has done more damage to this team than I thought. Regardless of whether he knows it or not, almost nobody on our team actually wants him gone just because he's strong. Well, if things come to worse, I might just have to show him that he ain't as strong as he thinks, then they'll have no reason to keep him around. (His glare intensified) I didn't join this show to have a grand old time. I'm here to win, and some blimp with anger issues isn't gonna stop me from winning.

 **Yanmega:** (He groaned and then slumped against his seat) You guys might think that since I love flying so much, I'd be carefree twenty-four seven. The truth is, I get frustrated a lot more than most people think. My friends back home know that. My fiance, Vespiquen knows that. Did that bother them? Not at all! And that's what made me feel close to them. (He narrowed his eyes at the camera) But they're not here, and that frustrates the hell out of me. More so when someone who seemed to have no experience in combat suddenly stepped up and acted more like a leader than I am. Petty or not, I didn't name myself Captain Yanmega because I imagined myself as a superhero when I was a kid!

* * *

 **Mess Hall**

Still embarrassed after having her relationship exposed to the public, Turtonator never took her eyes off her breakfast, chewing it slower than usual. It didn't stopped her teammates from giving her stares.

"You couldn't be any more slower?" Purugly said, annoyed.

Turtonator swallowed and stared at her for a moment, before looking down at her breakfast again, cutting up her eggs and then slowly raised her eggs into her mouth, chewing it slow once more.

"Can you please explain why it was necessary to hide your relationship from us?" Chandelure asked.

Knowing she couldn't get out of this situation, Turtonator swallowed her eggs and sighed. She gave a quick glare at Sableye, before facing her other teammates, "I did it because I thought it would've posed Vanilluxe and me as larger threats, thus giving you guys a reason to vote us out. So I thought it'd be for the best to keep it a secret for the time being," She gave Sableye a glare again, "Guess that strategy is no longer useful."

"You shouldn't have kept it a secret in the first place," Sableye said, smirking at her.

"It wasn't your decision to make whether or not my relationship should be out in the open or not!" Turtonator said, glaring at her.

"As I said on my first day here, nothing will stop me from spilling everyone's secret!" Sableye looked at her teammates, giving them a large grin before looking back at Turtonator, "Your relationship with Vanilluxe is just one of the _many_ secrets I'll be spilling this season," Sableye pointed her finger at Purugly, "Like Purugly's for example!"

Purugly's eyes widened and opened her mouth to argue, but Sableye beaten her to it.

"Yesterday, Chandelure, Quagsire, Purugly, and I found the Azelf's base. Despite all of us agreeing to leave them alone, Purugly here had a different idea!" She glared at the fat cat, "She walked over to the cave's mouth, and seemed to be biding her time until I caught her. I didn't know exactly what her plan was, but last night, she tried to throw me off by kissing me!" She curled her lips in disgust, "It tasted gross, by the way."

Purugly growled, "Hey, I can tell you were into-"

"Purugly, I told you to not go near the Awesome Azelf's base!" Turtonator shouted, "Did you want to be mauled by Drifblim?"

"I wouldn't be because I was never there," Purugly said before glancing at Sableye, challenging her, "Do you have any proof?"

"Quagsire and I can testify Sableye's words," Chandelure said, giving Purugly a glare, "Minutes after we've left, you and Sableye simply vanished."

Quagsire smiled, "We had a talk about wild Pokemon afterwards. It was fun."

Chandelure cringed at the thought, "Don't remind me, please. The amount of knowledge you have on when they go feral is both alarming and terrifying to me."

Quagsire shrugged with the same goofy smile, "I just think learning that kinda stuff is cute. Especially on Ducklett."

The chandelier rolled his eyes, "Either way, those two weren't with us."

Sableye snickered maniacally, before pointing at Purugly with a menacing look, "So that means you've been caught!"

Purugly blinked, before growling, "Fine, I snuck into the base! Why does it even matter? Drifblim wasn't even inside when I entered, and it's not like I got caught."

Turtonator glared at the cat, "It matters because it shows you can't follow direct orders. We told you to not go inside, but instead you did exactly that. How do we know you'll listen to us in the future exactly?"

The cat growled again, before getting up from the table, "Whatever, I don't need to deal with this. You can play the blame game all you want, but in the end, my choice was meant to be a strategic advantage. Sure, it failed in the end, but at least I tried to better our position in the game."

The cat walked out of the mess hall, avoiding eye contact from everyone in the room, before disappearing into the forest far ahead of her. As this happened, Sableye couldn't help but snicker once more.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** (She cackled sadistically to the camera, before showing it a devious smirk) Soon, _all_ of their secrets will be available for the world to see!

 **Turtonator:** (She held the sides of her head, and was breathing in and out rather loudly) Sableye has basically ruined my chances of winning, but I can't give up now. I have to still try and win this. And in the end, (She glared at the camera, with a determined flair in her eyes) Sableye is certainly leaving this game before me.

 **Chandelure:** (He shivered in the confessional) God, I just remembered what Quagsire told me yesterday. I'm honestly considering voting him off just so he doesn't tell me more weird things about Bidoof. Either way though, that's not the issue here. (He glared at the camera) Sableye seems to be going out of her way to specifically find the secrets of those on the team, and the more she does that, the more likely she'll be to find mine. While I doubt people like Komala or Quagsire hold any secrets, the rest of us are at risk, and I'd prefer to not worry about that. So regardless of Purugly's reckless behavior, I'm much more inclined to keep her around then Sableye.

* * *

 **Forest**

Araquanid found himself running out into the forest soon after, before beginning to throw up in a nearby bush. Turns out that the eggs they were serving contained some spices that he was allergic to. Either way, he wasn't having an especially healthy reaction to the stuff entering his body. After about a minute or so, he felt a little better, but didn't really feel a need to return to the mess hall. Instead, he began to go on a stroll of sorts through the forest, looking slightly unnerved at his surroundings as he began to think to himself about some things.

For instance, a major one was a certain octopus. Unlike most of the contestants here, she was actually around his age and seemed to kind of relate to him on some level. Sure, their discussions still had a bit on an awkward twang to them, if only because they clearly came from vastly different places in life, and seemed to get through it in different ways, but regardless, he still sorta related to her. But with how she speaks to him, he can't help but feel as if she doesn't really respect him much at all. In fact, she actually seems to look down on him as a person, just because he isn't 'cool' or 'relaxed' like her.

After a few minutes of walking, Araquanid couldn't help but feel some kind of presence around him. Almost as if someone was watching him somehow. Oh wait, maybe he's in some kind of badass hunter vs prey scenario, like Predator...Actually, nah. That'd only really work if one of them was an action hero, and considering Araquanid was well aware that his body was more twig-like than most of his species. He was no Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After a moment, he called out, "Hey, somebody out there?"

The only thing he could hear was his own voice echoing across the forest. Araquanid shivered, before screaming again, "Come on, this isn't funny. In fact, it's kinda fucking creepy."

"If you couldn't acknowledge where I am, then it's working," A disembodied voice said.

Araquanid blinked, before sighing, "Oh thank god, it's just someone from camp. I was actually getting worried I was about to become part of the next _most dangerous game_ or something."

"The true dangerous game, is a real life zombie apocalypse."

Hearing the person's voice behind him, he turned, seeing Meowstic behind him. Araquanid blinked, "Wait...You know stuff about zombies too?" He began to approach Meowstic in a curious state, "Like, zombie plans, a fan of the movies, play the games?"

Meowstic's eyes widened in surprise before showing a proud smirk, "All of the above, including weapons."

As he said this, the spider's eyes widened, "Seriously?!" He began to grow a wide smile, "Okay, favorite zombie movie?"

" _The Walking Dead_ , aka the never-ending zombie movie," Meowstic said as if he was prepared for that question.

"But that's a TV show."

Meowstic shrugged, "When you'd think about it, it's like most zombie movies but it lasted for hours and hours."

Araquanid blinked, before his smile returned, "Can't argue with that logic. I'm into _Train to Busan_ , personally, but I've always been into that show too."

"Seen that movie," Meowstic said, smiling for the first time since he arrived on the island, "Better than most. Got any favourite Walking Dead character?"

Araquanid tapped his chin, "Maybe Eugene, or Morgan, maybe Glenn. Those three have always been my favorites."

"Carol, all the way. She had some great characters development! Her season one and season seven are totally different!"

Araquanid's smile grew wider, "Man, it's good to know I'm not the only one on the island into this kind of stuff. The only other person I've really related to in any way is probably Octillery, so it's good to know...Wait, why are you sweating so much now?"

As Araquanid pointed out, there were sweats trickling down Meowstic's face. His body was trembling, and his eyes widened in terror, "No! No, no, no, no, no! I can't risk my life bonding with another person! We've talked too much!" Without a warning, he bolted away, never looking back.

Araquanid blinked, before saying, "Um...Okay, guess that just happened."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Araquanid:** (He scratched the back of his head) Okay, don't know what that was all about, but still, nice to know there's at least someone else on the island I might be able to hang out with.

 **Meowstic:** (He kept slamming his hands to his head and groaned) What were you thinking, Meowstic? You know you can't bond with someone! It'll get you killed! (He looked at the camera in wariness) In most zombie stories, characters often go out of their way to reach their loved one, and half of the time, they get killed! So if the zombie apocalypse should happen at some point, I wanna make sure I have no ties to anyone, in order to not give myself a reason to leave my bunker! As for my family, they live with me, so it's not a problem. (He widened his eyes in surprise) Still, I'm shocked to find out there's another person on this island who's into this stuff as much as me.

* * *

 **Outer Mountain**

"Where is she? Where is she?" Jellicent muttered in her normal voice.

She was floating in the sky, out of sight for any non flying Pokemon, and to get a better sight of the whole island around her. She frowned, "Day off or not, I need to find her immediately before anyone gets suspicious."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Jellicent:** Finding out that Turtonator and Vanilluxe are married was a huge shocker. They have an advantage by having an automatic ally. I need to find them so I can get them as my allies. When one of them joins, the other will follow. It's crucial that I need to find Turtonator first before anyone else reaches her. And honestly, she's the one I feel I could trust, unlike a certain cat and gremlin.

* * *

She stopped, seeing a pair walking up the mountain. She floated closer, but not enough for them to spot her. She didn't have to move too much closer, now knowing the pair's identity. She floated downward, never taking her eyes off the pair. Soon, she stopped in front of them, making the pair scream and move backward a bit.

"Jellicent! What are you doing?" Turtonator asked, eyes widened.

Vanilluxe waved slightly as he shook in fear, "G-Good day, ma'am. I'm terribly sorry for looking like this, but you sorta just terrified the living daylights out of me."

Jellicent sighed, before moving forward, "I'll get to straight to the point. Me being creepy was all an act. Just did it to play the game. I want to ask you two to join an alliance with me."

As she said this, she took notice of the fact that the two were currently glancing at each other, both unsure of the previous statement, and still clearly shaken by her surprise appearance.

The jellyfish sighed once more, "Look, I have nothing to gain by lying to you about my true nature. I really am not the terrifying girl you've been talking to for the past several days. I simply wanted to make sure that any allies I made would know I trusted them. Since I decided not to scare you two-"

Vanilluxe interrupted, "Sorry ma'am, but that's a little debatable."

Jellicent glared at the ice cream for a moment, before continuing, "I do indeed think that you two could use my help in making it further in the game. While I doubt people are actually gonna be targeting you or anything, it probably still would be nice to have some allies to fall back on, right?"

The married couple glanced at one another again, before Vanilluxe whispered, "Well...She seems nice. I think we could maybe trust her."

Turtonator stared at her husband for a moment, before looking back at Jellicent suspiciously, "Why us? Why you chose to ask us as your allies?"

"Because you understand how much your game is at stake, especially against twenty-something players you've never met in your life until now. And while I may pose as a stranger now, I promise you won't regret having me as an ally. And besides, don't you want an extra hand helping you find an idol?"

Turtonator softened her eyes, but still looked at her with suspicion. Jellicent was right about one thing, she was a stranger, someone she and Vanilluxe had only met a couple of days ago. And even then, they saw her as a terrifying girl who seeked to terrorise anyone in her sight. Having her revealing she was pretending was a lot to take in. Can they really trust someone they hardly knew?

The couple exchanged glances before looking back at Jellicent.

"On one condition, we get rid of a Sab-" Turtonator stopped herself, not wanting Sableye to somehow hear her speaking her name. Luckily, Jellicent nodded.

"Looks like we're on the same page. Perhaps we could make it work after all. Now I've gotta go, I can't risk her seeing us together like this."

Before the couple could say anything, Jellicent left, her eyes were vacant as they were throughout the majority of the game. They watched her float upwards, getting smaller each second.

Vanilluxe blinked, "That was…Rather surprising,"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Turtonator:** (She and Vanilluxe were sharing a seat together, despite there only being room for one person. She raised a brow at her husband) Was it really necessary for us to be together in the same confessional? Or even have this conversation in here?

 **Vanilluxe:** We were separated for too long! (He nudged his head at her and grinned) And I always wanted to share a confessional together!

 **Turtonator:** (She chuckled and rubbed Vanilluxe's head, which caused her husband to grin even more) Softie. (She looked at the camera and stopped smiling) My mind is still wrapping around about Jellicent. It never occurred to me that she could actually be a decent person.

 **Vanilluxe:** She sure got us all fooled. You think she's an actor like Bastiodon?

 **Turtonator:** At this point, I don't know what to believe. But having an ally would be crucial right now, especially since everyone knows we've lied to them about our relationship.

 **Vanilluxe:** So, is Jellicent our new friend now?

 **Turtonator:** Friend wouldn't be the best word to describe her. But for now, she's an ally.

* * *

 **Golden Inn**

Octillery was rummaging through the fridge and cupboards, grabbing what she was looking for before heading back to her hot tub. As she shut the cupboard's door and dropped to the floor, she turned around, only to see Xatu was nearby, staring at her. She screamed, dropping her food, creating a mess on the floor.

Octillery groaned and pointed up at her, glaring at Xatu, "Look what you've made me do! You made me drop all of my food!"

"Technically, it isn't your food. It's everyone's," Xatu said.

"Food is food," Octillery scoffed, "Whatev. Guess it's back to my tub without snacks," She started heading back to the hot tub room. Xatu looked at her.

"Are you going to clean up this mess?" Xatu nodded at the mess on the floor.

Octillery rolled her eyes, "You made me drop it, you pick it up."

Xatu frowned at her, "It's your responsibility, Octillery. You should clean up the mess you've made."

Octillery groaned to herself, "Aw, great, you sound like Mom right now. As if I haven't had enough of that back home."

The bird fluttered over to Octillery, looking down at her, "Because your parents kept going on about how you've never cleaned up your room?"

The octopus suddenly said, "Exactly! If I wanna clean up my room, then I'll do it whenever I feel like it!"

"That's never happened. Your room is cluttered with discarded food, empty alcohol bottles, an overfilled trash bin, and several posters of the one you called Jacob with lipstick and other substances I'm sure you can understand."

Octillery's eyes bugged out, "How the fuck- DID YOU GO INTO MY ROOM?!"

"I saw visions of you in the past. Your actions nowadays are acts of rebellion against your parents. Most people your age tend to do so. Right now you're currently playing a popular girl role. You're enjoying life, but at the same time, it's tainting it."

"Forget this! I ain't listening to another word from a crazy bird like you!" Octillery shouted at her before squirming towards the door, but Xatu flew over her head and landed by the doorway, blocking the entrance, "Hey! Get the flippin' fuck out of my way!"

"You're running away because real life is catching up to you," Xatu narrowed her eyes at the octopus Pokemon, "No matter how fast you run, it'll catch you."

"Shut up!" Octillery slapped her tentacles to where her ears appeared to be, "You don't know me!"

After a moment, Xatu said, "No matter how much I wish to disagree, I'm afraid I know you and everyone on this island very well. The past is a powerful tool, because we can learn from it. I'm telling you this because the sooner you realize how badly this lifestyle is hurting you, the sooner you'll realize you need to change for the better."

Octillery glared at her, "Shut up! Just shut up!"

The bird opened her wings, as if ready to fly, "You should think on this. It might help you make some realizations. But maybe just to get the ball rolling," she looked right through the octopus, "Just how do you think these actions of yours are affecting the people around you?"

And without another word said, she flew upward, before beginning to fly up to her room, not once looking back at the teenager.

Octillery removed her tentacles from her head and looked at where Xatu had left. She looked back at the mess in the kitchen area. Looking like she was having a second thought, she suddenly snapped her head forward and stormed into the hot tub, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Octillery:** (She glared at the camera) What does that bird think she knows?! I know exactly who I am! I'm popular in high school, and I'll be popular in whatever comes next! (She folded her tentacles and looked away. Her eyes softened for a moment before scowling again)

 **Xatu:** I can only warn people about their future. Never directly. I've seen everyone's variate futures. Some are good, while others are bad. I'd like to try and persuade them onto the brighter path. For example, I told Bastiodon he'd be facing an existential crisis regarding his ancient family.

 **Bastiodon:** (He stared into a hand held mirror, eyes bugged) Am I not truly born in this period? _WHAT AM I?!_

* * *

 _ **Day 5 - Relaxation Day**_

* * *

 **Beach**

The waves of the sea were crashing silently against the sand on the beach, as two pokemon usually known for flying in the air sat on the beach, seemingly in some kind of meditating position. The two Pokemon in question were none other than Drifblim and Hydreigon, who both looked quite different in their stances. While the former looked surprisingly relaxed and calm at the moment, the latter...Was having difficulties.

One of her heads seemed to be a little preoccupied trying to build some kind of sand castle, only to repeatedly start getting frustrated as the water came just close enough to ruin it's handy work. Eventually, it seemed to try and attack the water, but her other heads were luckily just barely able to stop it with combined willpower, as the angry head in question began to mumble profanities to itself.

As this happened, she sighed to herself, before turning to Drifblim, "I don't...Think this is...Working."

As she said this, she noticed Drifblim turn to her, "Trust me, it is. Your sentences are becoming more fluent. You just need to be a little more willing to relax your mind."

Hydreigon blinked, before sighing again, "It just...Seems impossible for...Me."

Drifblim smiled at her softly, "Trust me, it'll work. It just might take awhile longer."

She stared at him in shock, never seeing him smiling before, "I guess...I'll take your...Word for it."

The blimp nodded, before turning back to the sea, "Now, relax your mind once more...Or just knock out the annoying head. Either way, probably less of a pain on your end."

To Drifblim's surprise, this actually got a small chuckle out of Hydreigon, causing his face to finally morph from his usual stoic look, and more into that of a shocked expression. Glancing over at her for a moment, he blushed slightly, before smiling to himself. That is until he heard footsteps approaching, causing him to morph into his usual look.

Raichu walked over to them, giving them a lazy wave, "Hey."

Drifblim turned to him, before waving back, "Hello Raichu. I hope the concussion I gave you a few days earlier has healed nicely. Apologies again for that."

Raichu waved his hand dismissively and slumped next to him, "Forget about it. Needed to wake up, anyways."

Drifblim smirked, "Oh, and you're saying the hangover wouldn't have woken you up?"

The electric mouse returned a smirk, "I've been in ton of hangovers. I've reached to the point where I couldn't tell the difference whether I was drunk or not."

Hydreigon shivered, "I...Can't drink. It messes...With my...Heads."

Raichu looked at her and chuckled, "You'd probably be a riot in parties. Could end becoming Queen of Disco or something."

Hydreigon blinked, "...What's disco?"

Raichu stared at her as if she was growing more heads, "Seriously?" He shook his head and stared at the sea, "Wow…"

Drifblim shrugged, "To be fair, when was the last time you actually heard disco being played somewhere?"

"You'd be surprised when you spend so much time in nightclubs," Raichu said.

Drifblim nodded, "Ah yes, nightclubs. I am well aware of the music they play at them. Terrible working environment."

Raichu opened his mouth to speak more, when his ears perked, hearing shouting nearby. He turned, seeing Ninjask flying around, shaking his nunchaku to the point it was blurring.

"Komala, this isn't your stuffed-" Ninjask stopped shaking his nunchaka, looking deep in thought, "Well, I mean, I guess it basically is just a hard, cuddly toy, isn't it?" He asked the sleeping koala, who was clinging onto Ninjask's nunchaka.

"It's…Comforting," Komala murmured, before snoring again.

"How it is comforting?" Ninjask asked, looking annoyed before attempting to remove her again, "Please, get off of it!"

"That's what she said," Raichu said, smirking as he looked back the ocean.

Drifblim blinked, before floating over to the two, towering over both the bug and the koala, as he said sternly, "What is the problem here?"

Ninjask stopped and screamed, frightened by Drifblim's presence, "I'm not trying to hurt Komala or anything! I just wanted her to let go of my nunchaku!" He gestured to the sleeping koala.

Drifblim blinked, before saying, "I never thought you were. It's pretty clear she isn't bothered," he gave the bug an odd look, "Also, why did you scream? It was rather loud."

Ninjask let out a nervous chuckle, feeling sweat forming on his forehead, "No offence, man, but you can be pretty scary, especially after what you did to that dog."

Drifblim blinked again, before stating, "I did that because she crossed the line, and tried hurting people too many times for my liking. As long as you don't hurt anyone, I have no business teaching you or anyone else the same lesson I taught her."

Ninjask's eyes bugged out and shook his head frequently, "Oh, no, I would never do anything like that! I swear! In fact, most of the time, the only person I'm hurting is myself!"

The blimp gave him a look, "You should work on that. Hurting yourself basically does nothing but make yourself weaker. I recommend being a bit more careful."

Ninjask rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, my grandpa said the same thing. I don't know why, but I keep finding a way to get myself hurt."

Drifblim nodded, "You must find a way around that. But for now, that is not your issue at hand," he pointed at his weapon, "First, you should find a way to get her off of that. If Komala grows too attached to something, she'll steal it. That's just how it works."

Ninjask's eyes widened and stared at his nunchaku, "What? No! My Mom gave me this! She'll be mad if I lose it!"

Drifblim pointed at a nearby berry bush, "I recommend lacing the weapon with some kind of natural juice. She'll most likely find the wetter outside uncomfortable, and fall right off."

The ninja blinked, staring at the berry bush and then looked back at Drifblim, "Really? Thanks!" He gave him a smile before flying over to it. As he flew over, Drifblim waved him off, allowing a slight smile to form.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Ninjask:** (He grinned) It worked! (He showed off his nunchaku, covered in berries juice) As soon as I put it on, Komala slipped off like butter! You know, for a scary dude, he actually turned out to be a pretty cool guy.

 **Komala:** (She was covered in berries juice, for once not holding anything. She was frowning before letting out a yawn) It was…Very uncomfortable. It's…All sticky and gross. (She yawned again) Never going back to Ninjask's nunchaku again.

 **Raichu:** You're probably thinking, why am I buddies with a guy who knocked me out on day one? For starters, he didn't leave me back at the camp like a piece of trash. Not to mention, afterwards, he actually looked after me for the rest of the day. I don't wanna think what would've happened if I was left alone with Purugly. (He shuddered) I can't believe I said that. (He stopped shuddering and stared at the camera) Then again, I'm pretty sure I've fucked uglier people.

 **Drifblim:** (He gave the camera a serious look) I will make this clear now...I am here to win. However, despite this goal of mine, I see no reason not to be polite to those that haven't wronged me or anyone else on this island. Regardless however, I must speak with Ninjask again at some point. His form was terrible.

* * *

 **Upper Hill**

Sitting on top of the hill, Espeon had her eyes closed, muttering prayers, "And thank you for allowing the exposure of the devils among us each day, knowing I've been given a purpose to vanquish them from this sacred island. Amen."

Just as she finished her prayers, Zebstrika ran up to her, letting out a huge gasp, "Woo! That was a good run."

Espeon looked up at him and frowned, "Oh…Hello," She looked out to the horizon.

Zebstrika blinked, before saying, "Um...So how's your day been?"

"Fine," Espeon said, not looking at the zebra Pokemon, "Just finished my routine prayer."

The zebra smiled, "Oh, that's neat I guess. Personally, I've never really been that religious of a person, but if you're into it, I guess my opinions don't matter."

"Exactly," she said, coldly.

The two stood there for a moment, an awkward tension arising, as Zebstrika began to walk slowly backwards, "Um...Did I say something wrong? You kinda seem a little...Angry."

"Your words on our first day still appear in my mind."

Zebstrika sighed, "Look, I said I was sorry. I never had an intention to offend anyone. I just don't really think too much about what I say."

This time, Espeon looked at him, showing no expression, "Do you truly mean it?"

Zebstrika quickly nodded, "Well, yeah. It's just always been a problem of mine. It's not like I actually have anything against anyone," he blinked, "Well, maybe besides kids who eat junk food while I try to teach class. They kinda piss me off."

"Can you please refrain from that _'p'_ word," Espeon said, narrowing her eyes at him, "I won't tolerate such foul words."

The zebra nodded with a sheepish smile, "Sorry about that. Kinda just used to letting loose language-wise with close friends back home. Kinda forgot some people don't like it."

Espeon turned her head away from him, facing the area once more, "I find those words nothing more than slang people made from hell."

Zebstrika blinked, "Um, isn't that a little far? I mean, a lot of people swear, but it's not like most mean anything by it."

"Would it be okay to speak those words in churches? I think not."

The zebra gave her a look, "Actually, the priest back in my hometown swears a decent amount."

"Then he isn't a true priest. He wouldn't be accepted back where I'm from."

Zebstrika glared at her, "Hey, that guy happens to be a friend of mine. So don't talk about him that way."

She looked back at him, glaring, "You cannot swear in religion. The only time you should swear is when you've vowed to join one."

The zebra's glare intensified, "Okay, now that's just hypocritical. Under that logic, why the heck do you have a problem with the guy swearing when he's actually _part_ of the religion."

"Swear aren't real words, so it's unnecessary to speak them."

Zebstrika's eye twitched, before breathing in heavily, and beginning to walk away, "Yeah, not dealing with this right now. You keep telling yourself this all you want, just don't insult people because they swear. It's rude as heck, and that's coming from me."

Espeon stared at him, before looking back at the area surrounding her and closed her eyes.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Zebstrika:** (He groaned to himself) God dammit, it's those types of people that actually crease me. While I may offend people on occasion, I don't try to. But people like her are just downright rude intentionally and refuse to acknowledge it. Either face the fact that you're a bitch and fix that, or don't chew out others for their fuck-ups.

 **Espeon:** I wouldn't expect Zebstrika to understand. His lack of self control over his words was a sign of someone I wouldn't consider a friend of Arceus. Our Lord expects us to be clean. We cannot do that while committing foul words under his name.

* * *

 _ **Day 6 - Challenge Day**_

* * *

 **Golden Inn**

While waiting for the challenge to arrive, Leavanny was sitting at her usual place on the couch, sipping coffee while reading a book. She looked calmer than she'd ever been since she arrived at the island. The last two days with no challenge and elimination had been relaxing, apart from Octillery's usual havoc at the hot tub.

She looked at the door leading into the hot tub room and frowned. She wouldn't be surprised if it was her who made that mess in the kitchen area. She asked her if it was her, but only received a dismissing 'No'. Luckily, Araquanid offered to clean up the mess, albeit wasn't too pleased with it. Since then, she'd hardly heard anything from that octopus apart from the occasional splashes she heard while she was in her room.

Feeling like something was staring at her, Leavanny turned to the window, seeing Bastiodon standing outside, staring at her, forlorn. Although, it didn't feel like he was staring directly at her, more like at the building. She looked back at her book, but still felt Bastiodon's stare peering through her. She snapped her head at him and slammed her book shut.

She opened the door, narrowing her eyes at the actor, "Is there a reason for the neverending stare at the building? Or me?"

Bastiodon scoffed, "You? Not in a million years. I was staring at this gorgeous place you're staying in!" He gestured to the Golden Inn, "How is it that you guys get to spend time in there while I can't?"

"Your team threw the last challenge to eliminate Granbull," Leavanny said before sipping her coffee, "Smart move, I must say."

"But I've been sleeping outside for three days! Do you know what that will do to my body? I could become unruly!"

Leavanny rolled her eyes, "If your desire is to be accommodated inside the inn, all you have to do is make sure your team wins today's challenge. Until then, you're just going to have to deal with it for the time being," She stepped back inside and shut the door.

Bastiodon growled, "Oh, that's just great! What am I supposed to do now?"

"You could wait for the challenge to come up, dude," Ursaring said, walking over to him with Wormadam.

"Well, the waiting is too long! I should be relaxing in a hot tub as we speak!" Bastiodon said, glaring at him.

"We all have to pay a price for wanting to get rid of Granbull," Wormadam said, "And it's a price well deserved!"

Bastiodon rolled his eyes, "It's hard to think of that when I had a filthy wild Bidoof sleeping on my face."

"I still don't have any idea where Quagsire found them from," Ursaring said, scratching a head.

"I asked, and let's just say the answer wasn't worth it," Wormadam glanced at the Bronze Shack and grimaced.

"Well, let's hope the Golden Inn is as amazing the Awesome Azelf claimed it is when we win today's challenge," Bastiodon said, glancing back at the Golden Inn.

Ursaring slapped a hand on Bastiodon's back, giving him a smile, "I'm sure we can! We all managed to work together to stop Granbull!"

Bastiodon took a step back, "I'd prefer if you didn't touch me. I don't know which country you're from, but I don't want to be infested with it."

"Bastiodon, that's rude!" Wormadam glared at the actor, "Don't insult his homeland."

"And what's yours? A tree?" Bastiodon chuckled, "Rather fitting for a small cop like you."

Ursaring cringed and took a step back, knowing what would happen now. He looked down at Wormadam, who seemed to be trembling, but he could see a vein popping out of her forehead.

"Tree? SMALL?!" Wormadam launched herself at Bastiodon, tackling him to the ground despite the size difference, "I'll show you what a _small_ cop can do!" Punching and Bastiodon's screaming were heard as Ursaring watched on, cringing.

"Ah, that's cop brutality! Cop brutality! Somebody help me!" Bastiodon cried out.

As he said this, he suddenly felt himself be picked up off the ground, along with Wormadam, as both struggled. Grabbing hold of the two was a certain blimp, with a rat and dragon in tow.

He gave the two a look, "Explain, now."

"He insulted me and his homeland!" Wormadam shouted, glaring at Bastiodon behind her sunglasses.

Drifblim blinked, "You need to work on your temper. I recommend therapeutic meditation."

Wormadam gave the blimp a 'Really' look, "I'm fine. You can put me down now. I won't attack Bastiodon again."

Drifblim nodded, placing her and Bastiodon down, before floating away.

Wormadam quickly glared at the shield Pokemon, "But next time, you're getting a ticket."

"How is getting a ticket worse than having my face ruined?!" Bastiodon shouted, feeling his face for any bruises he may have gained.

A loud feedback was heard throughout the island, Uxie's voice was on, "Attention, ladies and gentlemen. The next challenge is well underway. Please makes your way to the northern forest. You'll know you have arrived when you'd see it," The intercom had turned off.

Wormadam gave the actor one more glare before hopping ahead. Ursaring watched on as Bastiodon muttered about getting his lawyers to sue the cop for everything she's got. He followed the pair, wondering what the next challenge will be.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Bastiodon:** (He held up a hand held mirror, checking his bruises on his face. He groaned) Thanks to that aggressive commoner attacking me for no reason, I am now five percent less handsome. (He growled at the camera) That cop is going to regret inflicting harm upon me. My most loyal fans will see to it!

 **Wormadam:** I don't like being called small. I had enough shit like that in my life.

 **Ursaring:** (He blinked, before scratching his head) Honestly, he kind of had a point. My home had a lot of weird people there that always acted strange. (His eyes widened) Wait...Do I act strangely?

* * *

 **Forest**

Bastiodon blinked at the large building before, forgetting the bruises on his precious face, "What the hell?"

Deep in the northern forest, the contestants stood in front of the hosts, staring at something behind the Legendaries. It was a large, five-story building, with a rather chilling outer appearance. The wooden outside was decayed and rotted, to a point of where you could probably tear the thing apart quite easily with just your bare hands. The windows were for the most part shattered, and the only noise that came from the inside was the faint howling of the wind. The disturbing part though, were the rather graphic looking burn marks, that made it seem as if the rather large mansion had been through some kind of devastating accident.

"How did I not see this sooner?" Meowstic said, staring at the mansion in suspicion, "I searched every inch of this island."

Yanmega groaned in annoyance, "I literally flew around this island for _hours_ looking for a damn idol, and yet I never fucking saw the giant mansion larger than some of the damn trees here."

"It called transportation, bro," Azelf chuckled and tapped his head.

Uxie glared at his brother, "You make it seem like you're the one who did it."

"I helped!" Azelf said, shooting him a glare.

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Oh yes, you standing off in the corner trying to settle things with a Caterpie certainly counts as helping. Really, it's amazing when a _worm_ is too good for you."

Azelf growled and shook his fists, "I told you not to bring her up!"

Uxie shrugged, "Not my fault when you seem to have no standards. How the hell did you two even do it-"

" _Okay!_ " Mesprit floated forward, shooting her brothers a quick glare before smiling at the contestants, "Now, today's challenge represents the letter C." She brought out a capital letter C, "It's called Curse of the Confidant."

Quagsire clapped, "Yay for confidence!"

"It's confidant with an _A_ in it," Chandelure said, "It means a person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting them not to repeat it to others."

"So in other words, it sounds absolutely nothing like Sableye then," Raichu gave the chandelier a sarcastic thumbs-up, "Got it."

Sableye growled.

"So what this challenge is about then?" Espeon asked.

Mesprit jabbed a thumb towards the large building, "All of you will step inside that old mansion, and must search for a girl who tragically died inside, finding it preferable over revealing the secret stash of gold stolen by her former lover," she sighed in an oddly heavenly way, "So romantic~"

Uxie rolled his eyes inside his eyelids, "No, it's ridiculous and dumb."

Mesprit cast her brother a playful smirk, "You only say that because you don't get how romance works."

He returned the smirk back, "And yet unlike you, I've actually gone on dates. Funny how the emotional one of us can't find anyone worth loving."

Mesprit's smirk disappeared, as she began to look down sadly, "No need to rub it in."

Uxie's smirk grew wider, "No, I think I will."

"Are you always such a dick?" Zebstrika asked, annoyed at Uxie's insult.

The host shrugged, "I wouldn't say I'm a dick. More like I'm just paying her back for always acting so high and mighty compared to us. Doesn't feel good to get brought down to our level I bet."

To everyone's surprise, Quagsire's smile broke, before blinking, "Um...That isn't very nice. Please stop."

Uxie gave the water fish a look, "...No."

Purugly placed a paw on Quagsire's back, "Let it go, man. I've seen enough people like him to know that arguing with them will only going to make you run around in circles."

Quagsire sighed, before saying, "I guess," as he said this, he gave Mesprit a sympathetic look.

Azelf coughed, "Anyways, back to the challenge," he pointed towards the house, "When you get inside, you'll be looking for a certain girl. Once you find her, you get a secret out of her, write it down, and return here to place it inside this little doohickey," he tapped a small mailbox outside the building, "Once inside, that means your team has officially completed the challenge, and you guys will be safe from elimination that night."

"The last team to place the secret inside will be facing tomorrow's elimination," Mesprit said, her voice lacking her usual emotion.

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Would you stop acting so dramatic already."

"That's remind me," Furret said, raising her paw up, "Why not have the challenge and elimination happen on the same night? What's the point of withholding the elimination until the next day?"

Azelf shrugged, "Honestly, I think it's just because Uxie likes having extra footage of you guys talking among yourselves. He apparently got barely enough last episode due to Granbull's early departure."

"That, and we thought it'd be interesting to see those on the chopping block to try to fight their way out of trouble," Uxie said, "It would make the results far more intriguing."

Ursaring gave the mansion a look, "One more thing. If we just need to get some secrets, what makes this challenge difficult exactly?"

Uxie smirked deviously, "Oh, besides the large amount of extremely dangerous traps inside, designed by yours truly," he pulled out two white sheets and threw them at his siblings, before stating, "These two are also gonna be inside, and will effect the challenge however they want to their liking. Whether they hinder or assist you depends on them."

Azelf glared, "Hey, I did _not_ agree to this."

Uxie glared right back, "Don't care. You were too lazy to make a challenge this time, so what I say goes today."

Azelf groaned, "Whatever, _mom_. I do whatever I want."

Uxie gave him a look, "You are aware you're basically comparing me to Arceus, the literal god of all Pokemon, right? You're basically complimenting me."

After a few moments of silence, Azelf grabbed onto his head, "Why does the universe hate me?"

Uxie rolled his eyes, before saying, "Anyways, that's everything, so to put it simply," he smirked at the cast, "Get inside the building now, or get thrown in!"

After giving him a glare, the remaining contestants ran inside the mansion, dreading the awful surprises they would be facing. As soon as everyone went inside, the double doors slammed behind them, making several Pokemon scream in surprise. Once they calmed down, they took in their surroundings, before beginning to make their way deeper into the mansion. The challenge had begun.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Jellicent:** I didn't expect we'd be having a horror themed challenge so soon. (She smiled) But I'm glad I get to compete in one. My faux personality may act creepy, but I honestly do love horror movies. Poor acting aside, it's always fun to watch rubbish characters dying one by one. (She giggled)

 **Meowstic:** (He showed a smirk) This challenge is well suited to my skills. My unlimited knowledge of zombie movies has taught me exactly what to expect in any cliche horror movie. At a risk of causing Murphy's Law, I'm confident in my abilities to succeed.

 **Xatu:** Visions or not, I'm betting the first person to be engulfed in the haunted mansion will be the one who couldn't handle it. (She showed a playful smirk) Bastiodon. Definitely Bastiodon.

 **Quagsire:** (He gave the camera a smile) When I came here, everyone seemed really friendly, especially the kind host lady. (His smile soon disappeared) But seeing how her brother treated her, I can't help but feel she might need some cheering up. (And soon, it was replaced with a grin) And I'm determined to do so!

* * *

The Mysterious Mesprit were walking down the ghastly hallway, expecting to be jumped at a moment's notice.

"Meowstic, I'm perfectly fine with you holding me," Vanilluxe said, looking at Meowstic's hand gripping his left head, "But is there's a reason for holding Ursaring's hand as well?"

"You should know I'm not into guys, right?" Ursaring said, raising a brow at the psychic Pokemon.

"I'm not into men that way. I'm holding your hand and your head to make sure we don't get split up in this place," Meowstic said, eyes shifting around the hallway, "Every horror movie always has a group splitting up, and they pick them off one by one."

Ursaring shrugged, no longer weirded out by it, "Eh, fair enough."

Espeon glanced at the men, "Then how should we find the secret we must seek?"

"Trust me, it's better this way," Meowstic said, "It's not worth having all of us eliminated from the challenge. Eight eyes in one place are better than one."

"Speaking of eight eyes, why are Bastiodon and Raichu not with us?" Furret asked, looking at her group, who all stopped.

"What?" Wormadam said before looking up and down the hallway, "Bastiodon! Raichu! Where did you go?"

Meowstic narrowed his eyes, "It's already begun."

* * *

The Awesome Azelf were walking upstairs, heading onto the second floor.

"Are you sure you can't use your visions to help us find the secret?" Infernape asked Xatu above him.

"My visions have holes," Xatu said, looking around her surroundings, fascinated, "Some are more clear than the rest, but it's difficult to know where exactly I could find said secret."

Yanmega groaned, looking more frustrated than ever, "So much for our advantage."

Drifblim continued to stare ahead, "Calm down. We shall still emerge victorious."

"And how should we do that?" Octillery said, "Splitting up?"

Infernape shook his head, "Bad idea. There's no telling what's in store for us. We're better off sticking together."

Araquanid nodded, "Yeah, first rule of every cheap slasher movie I have ever seen is that the second you're alone, you're basically dead."

The team arrived at the second floor, realizing they were now inside a dining room. The place was huge. There were long windows that would reach from floor to ceiling. There was a long table that would surely fit about thirty people. There were several meals left unfinished, now covered in molds and reeked foul smells.

"Ugh!" Leavanny placed a hand to where her nose would be, and walked over to a shattered window. She looked out, seeing the deep forest they were in several minutes ago, "I'll have to say, deplorable as it may be, the production crew did a good job designing the place."

Araquanid looked around, "Yeah, there are a lot of details here. Almost feels like a real abandoned building."

"How do we know this isn't a real abandoned building?" Zebstrika said, looking around the room, "Didn't the hosts say they transported it here?"

"That's because it _is_ a real abandoned building," Xatu said, looking around the room, "More specifically, the Sinnoh Mansion."

"Wait, are you talking about _that_ Sinnoh Mansion?" Yanmega said, uneasy.

Hydreigon blinked, "Wait...What's the...Sinnoh Mansion?"

"Years ago, a group of rich folks came here to find out a dead guy's will," As Infernape continued to talk, his voice became more and more gravely, "But then next morning, someone was murdered. They tried to call the police, or escape the place, but no matter what happened, they couldn't get out. Soon, they were all picked off one by one, whether by the killer or themselves. Nobody knows what exactly had happened, but all I know is that the last person to die was…"

"A Froslass," Xatu finished.

The team was silent.

"And…There's your scary story," Araquanid said, eyes shifting around the room.

"Where did you hear of this?" Leavanny asked.

"The guy was my teammate's father," Infernape said, "The only reason he didn't go too was because he was too occupied fighting on the front line."

"What are you saying?" Zebstrika said, "You think all those murders happened _here_?"

"If that's the case, why didn't they bother cleaning up the place?" Leavanny took a step back from the table, trying to avoid the foul smell, "Surely, someone else would be the owner by now."

Araquanid shrugged, "I mean, I certainly wouldn't buy a mansion that a bunch of people died in."

"How about we find this so-called secret and get outta this hellhole ASAP?" Yanmega said, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Best idea from you so far," Octillery said, eyes bugged before squirming into the next room.

The rest of the team followed her soon after, now having that dreadful feeling creeping up their backs.

* * *

The Unique Uxie reached the highest floor, with Jellicent leading, now arriving in a small hallway. Turtonator was the last to reached the floor, gasping for air.

"Why…Did we…Have to…Go all the way…To the top floor?" Turtonator said, gasping.

Ninjask shrugged and glanced at Jellicent, wary, "Because Jellicent was the only one who's taking the lead."

"There's no better…Person who can…Take charge in…A creepy place…Than a creepy person themselves!" Purugly said, looking like she was about to collapse.

"It looks like she seems to know where she's going," Sableye said, staring at Jellicent suspiciously. She glanced at her teammates, "I'd bet she lives here."

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case," Chandelure said, his lights were illuminating the room, granting them more visual.

A booming clap echoed across the room, making them all jump, and turn towards the source of said noise, finding out it was Jellicent, who was staring at them.

"Jellicent, don't do that," Turtonator said, now having regained her energy, albeit looking uneasy, "Especially not in a place like this, okay?"

Jellicent remained silent, but nodded her head towards a door to her right.

Quagsire rose a brow, "...Is that Santa's bedroom? Mommy always told me he lived in a place like this."

"I'm pretty sure he lives in the North Pole, dude," Ninjask said, raising a brow at him, "And not in a seriously creepy place like this."

The team moved over to Jellicent, who pointed at the lock pad on the door handle.

"Well, that's not suspicious at all," Purugly said, sarcastically.

Quagsire smiled, before saying, "I'mma smash it open."

"Not so fast," Turtonator said before walking in front of the door and turned around, ready to use her spiky back to ram it downm until she heard clicking beneath her. She looked down, seeing Sableye was standing on the doorknob, using her claws to fiddle with the keyhole until a loud click was heard.

Sableye dropped the lock pad on the floor, and looked at her teammates, giving them a grin, "You seriously didn't think I'd know this?"

Quagsire smiled, "I knew. Because we can do anything if we put our minds to it-"

"Less talking, more stealing!" Sableye said before turning the doorknob and slammed the door backward, pushing it open.

The team stepped into the room and stared, not expecting what they would find in here. The room was filled with clocks. Endless clocks. There was all kind of clocks from ancient to modern, from big to small. What surprised them the most was that all of them were ticking.

" _This_ is the secret room? What a rip off!" Sableye shouted, kicking away a small clock.

"Why bother putting a lock pad to this room?" Chandelure said, frowning, "Unless the clocks are valuable, I don't see the point of it."

Quagsire began to grin, as he grabbed hold of a clock and held it close to him, "Everything's valuable in it's own way. I'd put a lock on this room too."

Turtonator looked around the room and sighed, "It doesn't appear Froslass would be here. I suppose that's one room down then."

"Can we get outta here now?" Purugly asked, her ears lowered, "All that ticking is going to drive me crazy."

The team was starting to leave, when Ninjask paused and saw Komala was clutching the top of a grandfather clock. He scratched his head and moved over to her.

"How did you get up here? We have to go now," Ninjask extended his hands to pry the little koala away when he paused, seeing the grandfather clock moving its hands quick.

Sableye and Jellicent stopped too, noticing all the clocks were moving its hands at quick pace until they all stopped right before reaching twelve. Sableye slowly turned her head at her teammates outside the room, "Guys-"

All the clocks reached twelve, unleashing a series of loud gongs, causing the team to scream and pressed their hands against their ears. Soon enough, the door slammed shut, locking the teammates inside. Turtonator gasped and turned the doorknob, only to discover it was locked. She slammed her spiky back against the door, but somehow, it remained intact. She snapped her head at her teammates.

"We need to take this door down!"

"How could this possibly be locked all of the sudden?" Purugly asked, eyes widened.

"It's a trick!" Chandelure said before looking at Turtonator, "We need to incinerate the door!"

Turtonator nodded and stepped to her left a bit, allowing Chandelure to float beside her. Both unleashed Flamethrower at the door, quickly charring it. Thinking it would do, Turtonator slammed the door, knocking it down this time. She stomped into the room while Quagsire put out the fires with his Water Gun. She waved away the smokes, regaining her visions at the clockwork room. Her eyes widened.

The clocks were still here, ticking as if nothing had happened. Except they were missing four people.

"Where did they go?!" Turtonator asked, snapping her head around the room.

Little do they knew, their other teammates were all sliding down a tunnel. Too big for her to turn around and move back up, Jellicent had no choice but to slide down with the screaming Ninjask and Sableye pressing against her face. Komala was slightly ahead, sleeping while attached to her trusty pink stump once more, completely oblivious to the situation happening to her.

* * *

Bastiodon's eyes bugged out as he ran down the hallway, snapping his head in every direction, "Guys! Guys! Where did you go?"

He screeched to a halt, suddenly finding himself in a projection room. It contained a shelf filled with video tapes and film rolls. There was also a projection standing in the middle of the room, aiming at the large white sheet covering the whole wall.

He gulped, "How did I lose them already?"

"Next time, you should pay more attention to your surroundings instead of looking at yourself in the mirror," Raichu said, walking into the room.

"I needed to know how much damage that runt did to me!" Bastiodon said, glaring at the electric mouse, "It's going to affect my chances to stars in more movies!"

Raichu rolled his eyes, as he walked over to the shelf, "It's not the end of the world."

"It is to me if it means I can't act in mainstream movies!" Bastiodon said, walking over to him, "My career would be over!"

Raichu picked up a film roll and blow away the dust, "While you agonise the loss of your so called career, I'm gonna watch a movie," He walked over to the projection, "If it still working," He placed the film roll into the projection and flipped the switch, hearing it turning on and then saw numbers counting down on the white sheet. He smiled a bit and sat on the floor.

Bastiodon glared at him, but sighed and sat beside him, watching the film. which they realized was 'Night of the Living Dead'. They were silent for several minutes, before Bastiodon spoke up, "So you've been around long enough to the understand the projection too."

Raichu remained silent, paying more attention to the movie.

Bastiodon turned to look at the electric mouse, "You know, I don't get you. Ever since you'd evolved. You had everything you wanted; fame, money, the red carpet, celebrity friends, girls falling in love with you all the time. Why throw it all away?"

Raichu shrugged, "I have my reasons."

"You were _the_ Pikachu! The iconic star of the past two decades! The whole world adored you! I'd do anything to get my hands on that."

"You can have it. I'm done with it."

"How could you not want it anymore?" Bastiodon stared at him, exasperated, "Fame wasn't enough for you?"

"I quit because I had too much fame," Raichu said, looking irritated talking about the subject he wanted to avoid.

Bastiodon scoffed, "There's no such thing as too much fame. If anything, you could've use that to become the most powerful non-legendary Pokemon in the world!"

"I'd blow my brain out faster than that guy in the movie," Raichu said, watching a character killing a zombie with a gun.

Bastiodon glared at him and looked away, "It's pointless talking to you. Shouldn't have expected better from the guy who was a winner, but then decided to become a loser."

Raichu slowly turned his head at Bastiodon, narrowing his eyes, "Said the guy who's head is so far up his ass."

Bastiodon snapped his head back at him, "What?"

"You never listen to a goddamn word from anyone unless they're gushing about having sex with you!"

"Can you blame them?" Bastiodon said, showing a smug smile, "I'm gorgeous."

Raichu scoffed, "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. If I hadn't listened to my Mom and the agents when I was ten, I'd have never gotten myself in this situation in the first place!"

"You were chosen as the lucky winner!"

"' _Lucky'_ wouldn't be my first choice of words. If anything, it felt life had decided to choose me to be played around with like millions of plushies of me all over the world!"

"God, I would love to get myself so many plushies of me," Bastiodon said, smiling, dreaming up about fans cuddling his plushies in beds.

"Are you listening to yourself? That just proves who you are; a whiny kid in an adult body!"

Bastiodon stood up, glaring down at Raichu, "I have a better, more attractive body than you!"

"For now! Sooner or later, you're going to be surrounded by drugs, alcohols, prostitutes, and whatever else is there for your body to be ruined. When I was still a Pikachu, I had so much makeup on me to cover up my true self! I felt like the walking dead Meowstic was going on about!"

"That'll never happen to me," Bastiodon closed his eyes and posed, "Because I am a professional actor," He felt something gripping his face and opened his eyes, seeing the anger in Raichu's.

"Well, here is some _professional_ advice from an ex-professional star," Raichu growled, "Fame was great, I'll give you that. But If you give into the pressure and let fame consume you, you'll be chewed to mushes and spit onto the floor like a piece of bubble gum," As he talked, his voice gets deeper and louder, "You'll become someone you'll grow to hate to the point where you use drugs and alcohol to get away from them. Tabloids can poison your words and turn you into someone you're not, just like that!" He snapped his fingers, "People will pretend to be friends with you just so they can hang out with a celebrity. And worst of all, once fame has its grips on you, you'll _never_ escape!"

Bastiodon remained silent, still looking into Raichu's angry eyes.

Raichu took a deep breath and removed his grips, "I evolved because I tried to escape, but I can't," He slouched, his eyes were filled with depression, "It took me twenty years to learn all that. Don't let it take you that long to learn," he said, his voice sounded drained.

He slumped back to the floor, watching aimlessly at the movie. Bastiodon stared at him, not sure what to do now for once. He sat down, but further away from the electric mouse. Neither have anything left to say to each other.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Bastiodon:** I'm a genuine actor! Maybe that's why Raichu went downhill! Yeah, that's gotta be it! (Despite looking confident, his eyes were filled with unease)

 **Raichu:** (He slouched in his seat, resting his paw against his chin) If Bastiodon doesn't understand it now, then fame already got him. (He scoffed) I don't know why I cares anymore...

* * *

Now separated from half their team, the remaining members of the Unique Uxie continued down the hall, with a certain water fish seemingly completely enraptured by some of the antiques all around him, "Oh man, these things look so pretty. It's as if whoever made them took a piece of everything in the world, and mashed them together to make everything feel perfect."

Chandelure rolled his eyes, "Honestly, everything being mashed together would explain why everything here looks so cluttered and rushed. No consistently whatsoever."

Quagsire gave the chandelier a look, "Isn't that a little rude. They probably just made this stuff to express themself and their problems."

Chandelure turned to glare at the water fish, "They're the ones who made it public. Thus, I think it's fine to give it a little valid critique."

As he turned back around, the ghost did not face Quagsire again, as the water-type in question looked down in sadness. After a moment though, he could have sworn he heard...Crying?

Turning to face the sound, he looked down a separate hallway, before calling to his teammates, "Hey, I'll catch up with you guys. Just saw something."

Turtonator quickly said, "Don't get eliminated," as the three continued down the hall, leaving the water fish to himself once more.

Blinking, Quagsire began to walk down the hall, calling out to the noise, "Hey...Are you okay down there?"

The crying stopped, as he continued, "If something's wrong, we can talk if you want. My mom always told me I was good at handling problems."

Sniffing was heard, "I'm over here," a disembodied voice said.

Blinking, Quagsire continued to walk down the hall, until he came across a single dining room table in the middle of a small room, "...Are you furniture?"

A weak chuckle was heard, "No, I'm under here."

Scratching his head, he quickly picked up the table, before spotting someone under it, "Huh, you were sitting in the same place I used to hide whenever mommy went through her blackout moments. Those were always fun."

Mesprit gave him a weak smile, as she wiped away her tears, "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to see me like this."

He smiled down at her, "It's fine if you were crying you know. Everybody cries."

Mesprit nodded a bit, "True. Otherwise, we'd burst like water balloons."

Quagsire laughed at this, before looking down at her, "So, why were you crying though?"

Mesprit looked down, "Uxie was being a huge jerk."

The water fish gave her a look, before sitting down next to her, "Wanna talk about it?"

Mesprit shook her head, "No, you have a challenge to do. I don't want to get you in trouble."

He smiled at her, "Actually, the others didn't really need me anyways, so I have time," his smile grew softer, "So really, what's the matter?"

Mesprit sniffed, "Uxie just brought up a subject I didn't like."

Quagsire looked back on his memories from earlier, "...Was it the thing about Caterpie? I remember you were uncomfortable when they started talking about that."

"No, it wasn't that. I was talking about when he said I didn't find anyone worth loving."

He blinked, "But aren't your brothers worth loving?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love my brothers…To some extent," Mesprit said, staring at the floor.

The water fish blinked again, "Did he mean the kind of love my dad used to feel towards my mom?"

Mesprit nodded.

Quagsire smiled, "Well, I don't think you need to worry about that. Everyone has someone out there who's that for them, sometimes it's just hard to find them. My mom used to tell me stories about how she thought she'd never find someone, until one day she met my dad," his smile grew more comforting, "Maybe the one who loves you is just out there somewhere, waiting to meet you."

Mesprit lifted her head and looked at him. Tears appeared in her eyes again, but this time she was smiling, "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

Quagsire's smile grew wider, as he slightly saluted, "I'm always available to help people when they're feeling down, so if you ever feel sad again, just let me know."

Mesprit chuckled and nodded, "I will. Thank you," She floated out from under the table. As this happened, Quagsire waved her off with his usual grin.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Quagsire:** (He smiled at the camera) Everyone deserves to feel happy. I guess the reason I'm here is to remind people of that, in my own way of course. I admit, I'm not the smartest guy here, or the strongest, or really even know what's going on most of the time, but if I'm good at anything, (His smile grew wider) it's reminding people that life's worth living. I think that's a nice goal.

 **Mesprit:** (She smiled at the camera) One day, someone out there is going to be _incredibly_ lucky to have Quagsire. (She smirked deviously) I can kick their butt if they do him wrong.

* * *

"What kind of places that have a garden _inside_?" Octillery asked, raising a brow at the room before her.

Still on the second floor, the Awesome Azelf found themselves inside a room filled with plants. There were stone pathways with dead exotic plants beside it. It almost looked like a mini bio-dome.

Leavanny stepped forward, looking disappointed, "You'd be surprised how many people have their own inside gardens," She looked at the octopus Pokemon, frowning, "Though I doubt that someone like you would ever bother to learn that, would you?"

Octillery shot her a glare before squirming away from her.

Yanmega looked up, seeing the sprinklers on the ceiling, "What kind of plants do you think they made here before…You know, they croaked?"

"Some here would be exclusive to Sinnoh, but there were several here that are from other regions," Infernape said, feeling the dead flower with his fingers.

"How much do you know about this place?" Leavanny asked, "It sounds like you've been here before."

Infernape puffed out some smoke from his cigar, as he removed his fingers from the dead plant, "Nah. My friend went on about it, and never let us forget it," He rolled his eyes.

"Were you that close to that friend of yours?" Zebstrika asked, seemingly interested in the veteran's thoughts.

"He can be a total asshole, but he's someone I can trust with my life," Infernape said, his eyes softened.

"You must be lucky to have someone like that in your life," Araquanid said, looking far away, almost yearning, "Wish I had a friend like that."

Infernape looked at Araquanid, "Unless you wanna risk turning yourself into an asshole, I wouldn't consider it."

The spider blinked, before looking away, "Well...I'll take your word for it, I guess."

After a moment or two of walking, Hydreigon stopped suddenly, before pointing ahead, "...Look...Plant…"

Yanmega rolled his eyes, "Yes, there are plants in a garden. Who would have guessed?"

The dragon shook her heads, before pointing towards a certain plant, with a rather large outer appearance, an outside looking like a mix between a Parasect and a Carnivine, "...Plant...Abnormal looking...Looks dangerous."

"Strange, I've never seen a plant like this one," Leavanny stared at the plant, interested yet suspicious.

Yanmega glanced at his military friend, "Did your friend mentioned about this?" He gestured to the strange looking plant.

Infernape frowned and stepped forward, but still kept his distance between him and the plant. He looked up and down at the plant before him. When he finished, he frowned deeper, "No. But we need to leave, now."

As he said this, the plant began to twitch slightly, almost as if it was preparing something. Noticing this, Drifblim glared at the plant, before looking to his teammates, "Infernape and Yanmega, you two get up here and prepare to fight. The rest of you, get behind us, now."

Infernape and Yanmega nodded and stood beside Drifblim, while the rest stood behind them with Xatu in the air, also ready to fight. The plant twitched more until it suddenly stood up, snapping off the roots from the dirt and roared at the team.

"NOW!" Infernape shouted before he, Yanmega, and Drifblim all unleashed their moves.

The plant monster roared in pain, feeling the wrath of Flamethrower, Air Slash, and Shadow Ball. It fell dead before it hit the ground.

The team had no time to celebrate, seeing similar creatures coming to life almost surroundings them.

"Oh, shit! They're everywhere!" Octillery said, eyes widened.

Infernape unleashed another Flamethrower at the creature closest to him, "We need to get out of here now!" He snapped his head at his team.

"There's a door nearby in that direction!" Xatu nodded her head at the door by the left corner before unleashing Ominous Wind at the creature behind Leavanny.

"No way!" Zebstrika said before using a Thunderbolt at the creature before him, "We'll never make it there! We need to head back to where we'd enter!"

"Who cares? We just need to get out now!" Leavanny said, delivering an X-Scissor at the creature's running toward her, knocking it backward.

As this all went along, Drifblim had just dealt a finishing blow to the Parasect breed from before, knocking it completely unconscious, as he turned to his teammates, "Make a run for the closest doors to you, and slam them behind you! If these get out of this room, they'll just spread chaos for everyone throughout the mansion."

Deciding to not discuss any further, the team spread out, heading for the closest exit they could find. Zebstrika engulfed himself in flame, using Flame Charge to ram a Cacturne-like creature to the side, incinerating it. He let Octillery run ahead, followed by Xatu, before getting through the door on the east side of the room. Zebstrika kicked the door behind him, slamming it shut.

Soon after this, Drifblim found his way to the west side of the room, slamming open the door, before motioning for others to get inside. Soon, Araquanid and Yanmega took notice, and began to make their way hastefully towards the door, some plants in tow as they chased after the two bugs. Though they soon were stopped by a series of Shadow Balls thrown their way, as he covered the two. Soon enough, they made their way inside, before closing the doors behind them.

Leavanny create String Shot with her hands, and run around the tree, causing the plant like creatures following her to trip and hit the ground. She reached the door just as Hydreigon got away from a larger, more unwavering Chesnaught just barely tripped over itself behind her. After a moment, she reached the door next to Leavanny, letting out a series of pants, as Infernape ran over to them soon after.

The women went through the door first and then Infernape followed through and stopped, watching more plant creatures running towards them with only raw hatred in their eyes. He slammed the door.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}  
**

 **Infernape:** (He glared at the camera) Toxicroak, if that mansion is what I think it is, you either tear it apart, or I do it for you!

 **Yanmega:** (He looked wary) If those plant monsters are just the beginning, I'm dreading to know what the rest of the house will be like.

 **Octillery:** You know, if the place wasn't filled with scary ass monsters, it would've been a good place for a rockin' party. Murdering people seems like a waste of time.

* * *

"Please remind us again why we're here, Meowstic?" Espeon asked, looking uneasy.

Most of the Mysterious Mesprit were inside of a rather large, and surprisingly spacious cellar. A large wall rack containing a multitude of different wine bottles were aligned along the side of the room, and some kind of furnace rested on the opposite side of the room. Several different barrels full of wine were scattered across the room, as the team got to checking throughout the room.

"The climax in horror movies usually takes place in the basement," Meowstic said, opening a lid and looking into a barrel, "The scarier the room, the more likely we'll find our objective."

"Makes sense from a story's perspective," Furret said, looking around the room albeit nervous.

"I still don't understand how we possibly could lose Raichu and Bastiodon?" Vanilluxe asked, looking inside the unlit furnace.

"How is right," Wormadam hopped over to him, confused, "Bastiodon is a big guy with a mouth larger than his brain. He couldn't have possibly vanished like that."

Meowstic closed the lid and walked back to them, still eyes shifting around the room, "Best guess, they've been eliminated before any of us could even notice."

Ursaring gasped, before groaning, "If that's the case, then we need to start going a little faster. Who knows how long we'll have before we could potentially lose more of us."

Vanilluxe floated back to them, "If it happens to us, chances are, it's the same for the other teams."

Ursaring pulled a wine bottle from the shelves and blew off the dusts. A smile appeared on his face, "1932," He turned around, facing his teammates, "Hey, guys, you think this wine is ed-" He stopped, seeing fear plastered on their faces.

The bear gave him teammates a confused look, before shrugging, "What, is there something on my face?"

" _Behind you!_ " His teammates screamed in unison, pointing at something behind the bear.

He blinked at this sudden screaming, before turning around, only for his eyes to widen in fear. Standing above him now, with a terrifying expression, was the largest Ditto he has ever seen in his life, the same exact color as the wine, having just made it's way out of the barrel recently opened by Meowstic. After a moment of standing there, he whispered, "Guys...What do I do? It's staring into my soul."

"Run!" Meowstic shouted, running out of the room.

HIs teammates stared at him bewildered. After a moment, the Ditto blinked, before slithering back into the barrel nearby, yawning, before closing it behind him. Upon re-situating itself in the bowl, all Ursaring could say was.

"I have no idea what just happened."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** Once the monster has found their victim, they'll claim it along with anyone who tries to help him. There were six of us, far too many. There's nothing we can do for Ursaring.

* * *

Somewhere within the wall, screaming can be heard. Some might say it was a dead ghostly being, when really, it was just Ninjask and Sableye pressed against Jellicent's face as they slid down the tunnel.

"We're all gonna die!" Ninjask shouted, eyes bugged.

"Jellicent and I are ghosts, so only you're screwed!" Sableye pointed at something ahead, "What's that?!" She pointed at the folkway where the tunnels would split into two. Komala fell into the right tunnel. Sableye gasped and launched herself from Jellicent, sending herself down the same tunnel, while the remaining pair fell through the left tunnel.

Komala landed into a pile of clothes. The screaming Sableye fell through next, landing beside her. She shook her head in pain, as she glanced around the room in confusion. There were two washing machines and a tumble dryer resting against the corner, along with cupboards above them. There were several clothes liners near the ceiling. A stack of laundry baskets were by a different corner. An ironing board was hanging out of the wall.

"We're in a laundry room? What kind of place would send clothes from the clockwork room to here?!" The annoyed Sableye said, removing some underwear from her head, "Rich people be damned," A thought occurred to her and snapped her head at Komala, who was rubbing her head on the clothes, smiling.

"Comfy…"

As if a switch was flipped, Sableye smiled and chuckled, "Only you would be comfortable sleeping in dead people's clothes," She pulled herself out of the pile and picked up Komala, who was surprisingly easy to lift for a small Pokemon like Sableye.

"Sableye, I like it here," Komala said, frowning, extending her small arm to reach back to her new bed.

"Komala, you know what would happen if we go up for elimination," Sableye said in a tone, similar to when a mother tells her children they couldn't have candy before finishing their vegetables, "We can't waste the idol too soon."

Komala slumped her arm and sighed, "Okay, Sableye…" She began snoring once more.

Unable to resist Komala's adorableness, Sableye chuckled and then headed out the room, "Never change, Komala. Never change."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** (She folded her arms) Let's just say Turtonator and Vanilluxe aren't the only one who knew each other before the game. (A huge grin appeared on her face)

 **Komala:** (Resting against a pile of clothes) Mmm… These clothes are nice. (She smiled)

* * *

The screaming Ninjask fell out of the tunnel, followed by Jellicent, who landed on him. Smothered by the large ghost, Ninjask's scream was muffled, while waving his free right hand. Hearing him, Jellicent pulled herself up, allowing Ninjask to gasp for air.

"Air! Sweet, precious air!" Ninjask said, floating.

"Baby," Jellicent said, looking around the room.

Catching his breath, Ninjask looked at her, raising a brow, "Baby?"

Jellicent opened her arms, gesturing the room, "Baby."

Ninjask looked around the room he and Jellicent were in. The walls were a bright pink color, with a small purple circle pattern covering the entire room. There a small bed clearly meant for a much smaller person than either of the two, and a small rocking chair was in the corner. A light was hung from the ceiling, which brightened up the room significantly despite the naturally dim lighting still showing through.

"Oh...Baby. Got it," Ninjask said, before widening his eyes, "Wait, why is there a nursery here? Actually, better yet, why is there a tunnel that leads to here?" He looked at the tunnel on the ceiling, "Isn't it dangerous? What if something falls through and hit the baby?"

Jellicent stared at him, "You tells me."

Creeped out by her stare, Ninjask shuddered, "Probably best if we don't answer that one," he quickly hovered to the door, opened it and leave, only to be encountered by a running figure. He screamed and raised his arms to use Slash, only for the running figure to dodge and slam him against the wall.

Ninjask blinked and smiled, realizing who was the running figure, "Oh, Meowstic! Sup, dude. It's been a while."

Meowstic sighed and removed his grip from the ninja, albeit glancing at the large jellyfish floating out of the room. He looked back at Ninjask, "Separated from your team?"

Ninjask nodded, "Yep. You seen the others?"

Meowstic shook his head, "Only my own. Although, Bastiodon and Raichu seemed to have been eliminated from the challenge. Haven't seen them anywhere."

"Neither have we," Ninjask said, "But it's a big place. They're probably around somewhere else."

Meowstic looked at the pair, "I see," He turned around, ready to run off, "Well, good luck you two."

"Hold on!" Ninjask shouted, "Do you want to come with us? Maybe we can help you find those lost teammates of yours."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Ninjask:** Only because I don't wanna be alone with Jellicent for another second!

* * *

Meowstic opened his mouth to decline Ninjask's offer, but words never came out. He closed his mouth and turned around and nodded, "Of course. I appreciate it," he said, glancing at Jellicent.

Ninjask smiled, "Cool! Now we can finally catch up on how you did all that cool jumping earlier!"

Meowstic sweatdropped.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** Allying with members from the opposing team is risky, but my odd of being eliminated is even higher if I continue exploring the mansion alone. That's a guarantee victim right there.

 **Jellicent:** (She frowned at the camera) I don't like how Ninjask suddenly pulled Meowstic to our side. He could backstab us at the first opportunity. Well, I'll make sure _I_ make the first move before he does.

* * *

"I can't believe we've lost Quagsire," Turtonator said, opening the cupboard and peered inside. Finding nothing but art equipment, she closed it and walked back to her teammates, "I told him to not get eliminated!"

She, Chandelure, and Purugly were inside some sort of art studio, a large variety of unfinished paintings scattering the floor of the room. Several large paint stains cluttered the walls in many different shades of colors, and on first viewing, you could almost mistake the place for some kind of rainbow in the making. Ever since the three were split from their teammates, the remaining trio had been searching every room on the top floor. The artist's studio was the last one.

"It there any reason we should be surprised by this revelation?" Chandelure said, turning away from the various painting splattered on the wall, "This is the same person who moved an entire forest of animals into a building just so he could have company after all. He was bound to do something stupid."

"Stupid enough to get himself eliminated from the game?" Purugly said, looking at her teammates.

"We don't even know if he's an adult or a large child," Turtonator said, leaving the room with her teammates, "My eldest child is seven, and he's more mature than him."

"He's probably still enrolling in high school," Chandelure said, smirking, "Or middle school."

"I don't think that last part would've been approved," Turtonator said, looking wary.

"He'd get to be the biggest kid in school," Purugly said.

Chandelure chuckled, "Point is, Quagsire's chances of winning is as good as finding a needle in a haystack. Probably only here as slapstick."

As the Chandelier continued to fly down the hall, he ended up hitting something rather large, causing him to fall back. As he rubbed his head, he heard, "Actually, I've found a needle in a haystack before. My mom said it's the game meant for those who have no friends, so I became the needle's friend."

Purugly, Turtonator, and Chandelure stood still, surprised by Quagsire's unexpected arrival.

"Erm, Quagsire? How much did you hear?" Turtonator asked.

The water fish smiled, "Everything. Also, I've been out of school for three years, but I was the tallest kid in class."

Purugly smirked, "Called it."

Chandelure and Turtonator exchanged round eyes glances, and looked back at him.

"So, you heard what Turtonator and I said about you?" Chandelure asked.

Quagsire nodded, "Yeah, but I understand. You guys are probably just under stress and didn't mean that, right?"

"Yeah, that's exactly right!" Turtonator said, giving him a fake smile, "Challenges like this one can be incredibly stressful."

The water fish blinked, before smiling, as he began to walk down the hall, "Okay, well then let's keep going. Don't want you guys to hurt your heads by worrying too much."

Turtonator slumped her shoulders, "Great, now I feel awful."

"Don't take it personally," Chandelure said, "He doesn't seem to acknowledge our words, so we didn't actually insult him."

Purugly smirked at the two, before beginning to walk past them, "Yes, keep telling yourselves that. Whatever helps you think you're not being terrible people~"

Turtonator and Chandelure glared at her. Before either of them could say anything, they heard a creak. They stopped and looked down the hallway.

"What was that?" Turtonator asked before another creaking was heard.

They looked at Purugly, who glared at them, "Very funny," she said.

A louder creak was heard, making the trio becoming wary.

"We should get out-" Chandelure said, unaware of something coming out of an antique painting beside him and Turtonator, as it suddenly came to life, and grabbed hold of Turtonator, whose eyes bugged.

"Hey! Let go of _meeeeee!_ " Turtonator said, getting dragged into the painting, which turned back to normal as if it had never happened. However, a picture of a person similar looking to Turtonator now appeared on the painting, as if she had become part of it now.

Chandelure and Purugly stared at the painting in shock.

"Fuck…" Purugly said.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Turtonator:** (She looked annoyed) Eliminated first. Not how I wanted my teammates to perceive me. (Her eyes softened) Maybe that's my punishment for insulting Quagsire behind his back. What kind of mother would I be if my children see that?

 **Chandelure:** It wasn't like I abhorred Quagsire. It's just people with low intelligence tend to make me feel…Less intelligent. I didn't want him to rub his…Personality on me.

* * *

Back in the projection movie, Raichu and Bastiodon were still watching 'Night of the Living Dead'. Although the movie was getting close to the end. Not once had they spoken since their last conversation. However, every now and then, without letting the other know, they glanced at their teammate, wondering what their reaction to their previous conversation.

Soon, they made eyes contact and looked away, focusing their gazes at the movie. After a moment, Bastiodon groaned, "Jeez, these people seem like they're barely trying. I can see them staring at the camera sometimes."

"Acting wasn't as great as it is now," Raichu said, "They were still grasping the idea of horror movies."

The shield Pokemon rolled his eyes, "Please, the original King Kong had better acting than this," he then blinked, before scratching his chin, "Wait...Now that I think about it, didn't that come out in 2005?"

Raichu rose a brow at him, "No, it was 1933. How the hell could you actually be that off?"

Bastiodon's eyes widened, "Wait, they had movies in 1933?!"

The mouse gave him a look, "Yeah, guess what, they've had movies since the early 1920s. Hell, this movie actually isn't even that old considering it came out in 1968."

Bastiodon's eyes widened even more, "I thought movies weren't a thing until I started acting in them!"

Raichu stared at him, bewildered before looking back at the movie, "Hard to believe we're only a few years apart," he said, deadpan.

Bastiodon looked at him, "Yeah, you sound like you're in your fifties instead of your actual age. You're...Thirty-eight, right?"

" _Thirty-two_. About the same age as you."

Bastiodon glared at him, "Hey! I'm twenty-nine! That makes me, the younger, and more attractive person!"

"And dumber," Raichu muttered.

"What was that?" Bastiodon said, raising a brow at him.

"I meant to say dumber and stubborn," Raichu said, giving him a smirk.

Bastiodon glared at him and stood up, "Listen, you rodent, you may have been an inspiring idol for two decades, but that doesn't mean you can go around insulting people like that!"

Raichu would've rolled his eyes if he didn't notice the white screen that seemed to be bulging towards the pair. His eyes widened, "Err…Bastiodon?"

"So what if you've been through hell? That doesn't mean it'll happen to me!" Bastiodon shouted, completely oblivious to what's happening in front of him.

Raichu stood up, glancing between the actor and the bulging white screen, "Bastiodon?"

"Unlike you, I've attended acting school! So I have experience!"

The annoyed Raichu walked around Bastiodon, ensuring him that the latter would be between the former and the bulging screen, "Bastiodon!"

"And that's why I shall emerge as a better actor-"

" _Bastiodon!"_ Raichu shouted.

"What?!" Bastiodon said.

Raichu gave him a smirk, "Here's another piece of advice," He pointed at the bulging screen, which now grew arms, "Pay attention to your surroundings."

Bastiodon raised a brow, "What?" He turned, only for the screen to wrap its arms around him and started pulling him to the screen. He screamed in terror, as he was finally pulled inside. The last thing Raichu heard from him was, "You sneaky has-been, I'll get you for this!"

As his voice disappeared though, Bastiodon suddenly became part of the movie, as he began running for his life as a horde of zombies in the film began to chase him around. As this happened, Raichu couldn't help but smirk, "No you won't, considering your intelligence, you're probably too dumb to remember anything past five minutes."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Raichu:** It's not like it'd be a devastating loss if we lose this challenge. At least the person we'd lose is obvious.

 **Bastiodon:** (He quietly mumbled to himself, as he glanced from side to side, before whispering) The big bad white screen can't get you now, Bastiodon. It won't hurt your beautiful body ever again.

 **Xatu:** (She was silent for a moment) Technically, he was the first male and member of the Mysterious Mesprit to be eliminated. (She gave the camera a small smirk) Still counts.

* * *

"What kind of room is this?" Zebstrika said, stepping into the next room with Xatu and Octillery close behind.

Of the rooms the contestants had encountered thus far, this was probably the most barren in overall appearance. The walls were a nice white and golden color, with a marble floor and a large amount of empty seats on both sides of the room. The curtains to some windows were closed, only letting in small slivers of the cloudy sky outside.

"This is an anteroom," Xatu said, looking around the room, "Also known as waiting room."

"Waiting room?" Octillery gave the room a strange look, "Is this room totally necessary?"

"It is a big place," Zebstrika said, pushing past the curtain and looked out the window, seeing the deep forest, "Man, it's still daytime outside. Honestly, with all of this stuff going on, I totally thought it'd be dark out by now."

"The lack of light can do that to people," Xatu said, looking at the unlit lamps embedded on the walls.

"Can we, like, go now?" Octillery asked, looking bored, "This room is a total waste of-"

Zebstrika turned around and began to walk away, only for the curtains he pulled to suddenly come to life. Before he could cry out, the curtains wrapped around him like a present and he fell to the floor. After a moment, he glanced at the cloth, and began to struggle against it, twisting and turning his body in a hopeless attempt to rip the fabric, before turning to his teammates, "Any help here?"

As Octillery and Xatu began to approach the zebra, the curtains opened the window nearby, and threw Zebstrika out, unwrapping him like toilet papers. The women hear his scream before hitting the ground. They could hear him groaning. They looked up, seeing the curtains approaching them like snakes.

"We must leave!" Xatu shouted, pushing Octillery forward.

They got out and slammed the door behind them. Xatu pressed her ears against the door, not hearing anything. She took a step back, "We should be alright for now," She turned, seeing Octillery squirming away. She flew above her, "Which room should we check next?"

"Forget that!" Octillery said, eyes bugged, "I'm getting out of this dead joint!"

"If you leave now, and the others know about it, you'd be a good candidate for the elimination," Xatu said, giving her a stern look.

"Why do you care?" Octillery said, glaring up at the psychic bird, "Didn't you say my life is tainted right now?"

Xatu nodded, "That's correct."

"So why bother helping me, if you think I'm, like, game over for life?"

"It's never too late, Octillery," Xatu said, her voice softened, "You still have choices. Choices to turn your life around."

The octopus blinked, before giving her a suspicious but interested look, "And how would I do that?"

The bird smiled down at her, "For starters, making amends with people you've wronged."

Octillery glared at her, "What? Like my parents? No thanks!"

Xatu shook her head, before staring down at her, "It doesn't have to be them, but you should take baby steps. Maybe you could try with people here?"

"Like who? The only one I can remember who seemed to be totally upset was Araquanid."

"How did you upset him?" Xatu asked.

Octillery scratched her head, "Don't remember much, but he didn't like it when I asked if he was rejected by every girl in college. Then he went on about how he tried to improve his social life, but feels like everything is against him. He had that feeling that screamed," She made an 'L' shaped gestured to her forehead, "Total Loser!"

She began to chuckle to herself for a moment, before realizing Xatu was glaring at her, "What's with the look?"

"Do you now understand what you just said?"

Octillery shrugged, "What? All I said 'Total Loser'. It's not like I was insulting-" She stopped herself, thinking back on what she had just said and her last few conversations with Araquanid. The more she thought about it, the more guilty she looked, "Oh…"

"Yes, 'oh'," Xatu said, landing in front of her, still glaring at her.

"Thinking back now, I kinda, like, feel like a total…Bitch," Octillery said, her voice softened at the last word.

"To be absolutely blunt, yes," Xatu said, stopped glaring.

"Oh, man…" Octillery said, looking down, not wanting to look at Xatu, "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Like I've said, you make amends with him."

Octillery blinked, before turning away from Xatu, "Why…Why do you wanna help me?"

"Because deep down, you're a good person," Xatu said, giving her a smile, "You just need to break away from your popular girl label, and become the person you can truly be."

Octillery looked up at her, wide eyes. Neither women said anything as they exchanged eye contact. However, one pair of eyes were filled with realization, while the other were filled with relief.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Xatu:** (She let out a sigh of relief) Thank goodness, Octillery realized her mistakes. Some of my visions showed her not listening to me once more, and being too far gone at such an early age. (She smiled at the camera) It's good to know one of the positive visions had occurred.

 **Octillery:** (She slumped against the wall and folded her arms, looking guilty) Aw man...Now I feel like shit.

* * *

"Wow, this technology is so old," Furret said, staring at a row of antique electric switchboards, each of which had different kinds of levers on them.

The five members of the Mysterious Mesprit were checking out the last room in the basement, the electrical room. There were pipes running along the walls and ceiling, most likely to cover the wires. There were all kind of electrical equipment they could reach within arm's length from circuit breakers to an electricity meter. Despite that, the room was almost pitch black, making it hard for them to see anything.

"You there, Furret?" Wormadam said, having to remove her sunglasses to see better in the dark. She hopped over to her, "Stay where you are. I'm approaching y-" She tripped over a pipe, knocking her to the floor. Her sunglasses came off and bounced away from her.

Wormadam stood up, groaning, "Stupid pipe," she muttered before feeling empty on the top of her head. Her eyes widened, as she started scrambling all over the floor, "Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit! Hey, guys! Have you seen my shades? It's landed somewhere on the floor near me!"

Espeon walked slowly to prevent tripping over herself, "Do you necessarily need it?" Espeon asked, looking wary.

"I have poor sight, Espeon!" Wormadam screamed at the psychic-type, feeling around, "I need them to see!"

Ursaring blinked, "Really? You can have sunglasses as your actual glasses?"

"Yes!" Wormadam shouted, looked panicky, "Just please, help me!"

"Don't worry, Wormadam, I'm coming!" Vanilluxe said, floating over to her voice, until he noticed something out of ordinary. He floated over to the east wall, where he discovered an unlikely object. It was an old Gengar doll dressed as a clown. Chuckling at the strange object in a completely different room, he picked it up and then continue following Wormadam's voice, until he was floating beside her, "Wormadam, I'm here now!"

"I'll give you a hug if you find my shades!" Wormadam said, still scrambling around the floor.

Espeon walked towards their voices and felt something plastic against her legs. She looked down, seeing Wormadam's sunglasses. She picked it up, "Wormadam, I've found it."

Wormadam jolted her head up and quickly hopped over to Espeon after tripping over twice. Muttering curses under her breath, she reached Espeon, who gave her her sunglasses. She put them back on, and let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. I did not wanna lose one this soon."

"How does wearing _sunglasses_ benefit you in the _dark_?" Espeon asked, raising a brow at her.

Wormadam remained silent before glaring at her, "Everything has flaws, okay?!"

Furret looked at Vanilluxe, seeing an old clown doll resting between his two heads, "Vanilluxe, where did you get that?"

Vanilluxe smiled, "Oh, I found it over there!" He nodded where he came from, "Quite strange this little guy was in here."

Wormadam raised a brow, unable to see anything in the dark, "What little guy?"

Now feeling that same feeling she had when she read several thrillers novels, Furret took a step back, looking uneasy, "Err, are we done here?" She asked the others.

"Yes, we are," Espeon said, "There's nothing else here that would be of worth to our team's effort."

"Except this little guy right here," Vanilluxe nodded to the doll, "It could become our mascot."

"Seriously, what little guy are we talking about?" Wormadam shouted, "It's better not be me!"

"It was just a simple, clown-" Vanilluxe said before the doll levitated above his head and moved backward, enlarging itself to ten feet.

The team stared at the giant doll, who glared down at them with a huge creepy grin. Vanilluxe turned around to face it, looking nervous, "Doll?" He squeaked out.

The Gengar opened his huge mouth and engulfed Vanilluxe whole. It swallowed it and then grinned at the remaining teammates, who screamed in horror.

"Run!" Furret shouted, running towards the exit, using its dimmed light there to guide her.

Espeon followed her closely behind with Wormadam and Ursaring on her tail. Furret and Espeon reached the door and faced back, watching the giant Gengar looming closer on Ursaring and Wormadam, opening its mouth to claim another victim.

Seeing the ghost was more than an inch away from reaching the pair, Ursaring grabbed Wormadam and threw like her a football. She screamed as she flew all the way to the door, landing outside of the room. Furret and Espeon cringed, hearing her crash. They looked back at Ursaring a second before he was engulfed whole like Vanilluxe. The Gengar looked up, snickering at the remaining teammates.

"Should we head back to the first floor?" Furret asked, looking terrified.

"Definitely!" Espeon shouted, running through the hallway and reached the stairs.

Furret and Wormadam, who recovered from her landing, followed her upwards and slammed the down behind them once reaching the first floor.

"That was close!" Furret said, looking at her teammates.

"Yeah, too close," Wormadam said, turning back at the door.

The ladies heard a snicker echoing in the hallway.

"Let's get moving!" Espeon said, wanting to be anywhere but here.

The ladies ran, having no desire coming back to the basement.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Wormadam:** (She looked annoyed) Okay, yes, I have poor sight! That's another thing people make fun of me back home for! And another reason I have to show them up! (She sighed) I was hoping the others wouldn't know about that. I don't want to give them a reason to vote me off if it comes down to it. I also kinda feel bad for Ursaring. I owe him one. Wonder what happened to them?

 **Ursaring:** (He was in a fetal position) One minute, I was inside a giant man-eating Gengar, and the next thing I knew, I was outside with the hosts. But the moment between these moments was the scariest part! (He shuddered)

* * *

Infernape couldn't help but get into a sour mood upon realizing what room he was in, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Hydreigon and Leavanny soon entered the room as well, only to be met with quite the surprise. It was a large, dark green colored room, with an ugly red rug on the bottom, but that wasn't the interesting thing there. No, it was the large wall and glass displays, all of which showcased brand new guns, seemingly recently purchased and well-kept in overall condition. Though the downside of this, was that they were all completely loaded it seems, and there were large holes around the entire room, steam still resonating from each of them.

"An armory?" Leavanny said, eyes widened, "No. I'm not staying in this room any longer.

Hydreigon began to quickly tense up, "I...Don't feel very...Comfortable in here."

Infernape stared at the steamy holes embedded on the walls. He walked over and rubbed his fingers over a few holes. He frowned and looked back at his teammates, "These are bullet holes. If the room is active, then it's possible our ghost could be here. After all, people might've well been murdered here."

Hydreigon's eyes bugged out, before flying over behind Leavanny in fear, "...No...Please no...I don't want to...Go in there."

Leavanny glanced at the three headed dragon behind her with a similar expression. She looked back at Infernape, "Since you have experience, you go on ahead. Hydreigon and I shall stay here."

Infernape stared at the pair and nodded, understanding their reasons. He looked around the room, seeing if there was a clue closeby to help him find Froslass. He stopped by the glass displays, staring at the different kinds of guns before him. His hands began to tremble. He could hear his heartbeat drumming against his chest. His breathing was becoming erratic, puffing out more tobacco smoke to the ceiling.

His eyes shifted at each gun, hearing a white noise in his ears grow louder every second. His cigar fell from his mouth and hit the ground. He looked at his hands and his breathing became gasping for air, now seeing bloods coating both hands. He could've sworn he could smelt it. The sound of gunshots and screaming echoed in his mind. The sound of someone's life-

He heard a thud behind and turned around, unleashing a powerful Flamethrower at Sableye, who barely pulled herself and Komala out of the flame.

White noises still deafened him as Sableye checked on Komala's condition and then snapped her head at Infernape, glaring at him. She started shouting at him and pointed at the flickering flame nearby, destroying the carpet. Infernape stared at her, but at the same time, he wasn't there.

Sableye stomped over to him, shouting and shaking her fists at him. But Infernape still didn't hear her, hearing nothing but white noise. He slowly lifted his head, behind the enlarging flame, he saw Leavanny and Hydreigon's horrified reaction. Still showing a blank expression, he looked back at Sableye, who kept shouting at him until she became frozen and vanished.

Infernape blinked, hearing white noises less and less. He looked up, seeing Komala looking confused. He looked back at his teammates, who were no longer staring at him. They appeared to be moving around as if avoiding something until Hydreigon screamed and flew out of the room.

"...nape!" Leavanny snapped her head back at Infernape, circled her hands to her mouth, "Infernape, get out of there!"

The white noise had disappeared and Infernape groaned and gripped his head. He looked down and gasped, seeing the flame almost reaching Komala. He ran over to her, picked her up and threw her over the fires like a football.

Leavanny jumped and caught her, before looking back at Infernape, who returned the stare. The fire monkey was hit by a series of small balls to his head, teleporting him out of the room. She stepped out of the room, and was about to call out about the fire, when the door suddenly shut. A moment later, the door flew open, only this time, the whole room was completely soaked, extinguishing the fire from before.

She didn't question how it happened and let out a sigh of relief. She looked down at Komala, who looked uncomfortable in her sleep. The teacher frowned and ran down the hallway, but not before one last look at the armony.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Uxie:** For those who are wondering, my siblings and I used telekinesis to open the window and pour sea water inside. (He frowned) Harsh I may be, I wouldn't let anyone suffer serious harm, could result in some serious charges that we can't deal with right now. Infernape was lucky he wasn't disqualified.

 **Leavanny:** Perhaps many of you thought Infernape was displaying a moment of PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. To be more accurate, it's actually more of a prolonged effect of Adaptational Personality Disorder. To put it lightly, it's worsening the effects of whatever disorder he actually has, meaning PTSD would honestly be a savior compared to that. (She shook her head) Poor man...

 **Infernape:** (He stared at a packet where it contained his cigars. A moment later, he put them aside. He looked up at the camera. Looking ashamed, he removed his gaze from the camera once more)

* * *

Right now, Meowstic could not accurately describe the kind of hell he was going through...Social interaction with someone who just won't stop talking no matter how many hints you give them that you just don't care. Ever since he had joined the group, Ninjask had been talking his head off beyond any reasonable measure, almost as if he quite literally couldn't stop talking or else he'd instantly turn into a flesh-eating zombie...Actually that'd explain a lot.

"And then, I cut the tree clean in half with my katana," Ninjask sighed nostalgically, "Man, best day of my life. I can remember just how proud my dad was."

The cat next to him sighed, before sarcastically saying, "Wow, how interesting of a story, please tell me more."

The ninja smiled in glee, "Okay then! There was one time where I…"

And he somehow made things worse for himself in a matter of seconds. If this does anything, it proves that maybe he should just start keeping his mouth shut around people who clearly don't get that they're annoying him. Doesn't help that this whole time, Jellicent has been staring through the back of his goddamn head. Seriously, if looks could kill, she'd have probably slaughtered the entire camp by this point with basically no effort.

However, as he talked to himself, he realized something, "Wait...Does either of you two hear something?"

Ninjask rose a brow, "No, why?"

Before the cat could respond though, his eyes widened in shock, as he saw what he could only describe as the wood on the ceiling heavily moving was happening right above him. Out of nowhere, the ceiling suddenly collapsed, as two large and sharp appendages broke through, as a large spider landed right behind the group. Meowstic and Ninjask screamed in terror, as they grabbed onto each other in fear, as Jellicent just barely was able to stop herself from doing the same.

As the Ariados recovered from the fall, it shook its head in confusion, before letting out an ear-piercing screech at the group, nearly shattering all of their ear drums instantly, as the two player's screams quickly were drowned out by the terrifying beast that clearly could only be a result of a multitude of night terrors. After another moment of screaming though, all three broke into a fast sprint down the hallway, as the spider gave chase trying to snap and attack the contestants.

Ninjask was naturally at the front of the group, with Meowstic lagging behind due to lacking the bug's easy to move and rather fast wings. However, Jellicent was incapable of actually catching up, as she suddenly found her get hit by one of the spider's many legs, throwing her against the wall and causing her to vaporize through it and onto the outside of the mansion, most definitely disqualifying her from the challenge all together. However, disappointed at not having properly claimed some prey, the spider continued to run after the other two, with intention of taking one of them out before it decided to leave them alone.

As this continued, Meowstic began to think he was done for, until he realized something, "Hey, Ninjask."

The bug turned to him, looking probably the most terrified he had ever seen the ninja, "Yeah?"

The cat sighed loudly, "Sorry about this in advance."

Ninjask rose a brow, "Sorry about what-"

Suddenly, a pink hue aura surrounded the bug, confusing him, before he was suddenly flung into the ceiling knocking Ninjask out instantly as he fell to the floor, allowing Meowstic to quickly run past him and continue evading the spider. However, the Ariados stopped chasing the cat upon noticing it's prey on the ground, as it let out one more beastly screech.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** (He sighed in relief) Thank god that's over. Look, no offense to Ninjask and all, but the dude can be really annoying! It's as if his interest makes up most of his personality. (He heard a sound outside, causing him to gasp in fear) Oh god, that was the sound of a lurker, it's come to tear my head open!

 **Ninjask:** (He tapped his chin) You know...I get the impression that Meowstic doesn't like me very much. (He waved off the thought) Actually, he was probably just in a bad mood. It's all good.

* * *

Chandelure was never satisfied with his team as most players tend to be either harming his game, or find them completely annoying. Unfortunately for him, he was stuck with an annoyance.

"You know we wouldn't have lost Quagsire if you and Miss Mother hadn't hurt his feelings," Purugly said to Chandelure as they moved downstairs.

"I already feel ashamed about it," Chandelure said, looking annoyed, "You don't need to keep bringing it up."

Purugly gave him a toothy smirk, "I know. I just like messing with you."

Chandelure rolled his eyes, "Hope you're having your fun."

Purugly walked closer to her teammate, much to his dismay, "Fun? I can show you the definition of fun," she whispered before rubbing her side against Chandelure, whose flames lit brighter and shuddered in disgust. He floated forward and coughed his clear his throat.

"I have my own definition of fun, and it has nothing to do with whatever you're implying," Chandelure said, glaring at her.

"Sure it doesn't," Purugly said, her smirk turned into a grin.

Chandelure shook his head and floated ahead. When reaching the foyer, he paused, seeing Espeon, Furret, and Wormadam there. Seeing a friend there, he smiled, "Oh, hello, Furret."

The women snapped their heads at him. Furret calmed down and smiled, "Hey, Chandelure."

"What are you doing talking to the enemy?" Wormadam asked Furret, staring suspiciously at the chandelier Pokemon.

"He's not an enemy, he's a friend," Furret said to Wormadam before walking over to Chandelure, "So how are you doing with the challenge?"

"Not great. Probably half of my team is eliminated by now, you?"

Furret sighed, "Well, Meowstic, Bastiodon, and Raichu ran off, and Vanilluxe and Ursaring sort of got eaten alive by a doll. So...Could be better."

Purugly reached the downstairs, her eyes now widened, "Wait, eaten by a doll? The hell do you mean by that?"

Seeing someone she abhorred, Espeon groaned and walked to Furret, "Furret, we're leaving right now."

"Oh, what's the hurry?" Purugly asked, walking over to her, smirking, "We've just got here."

Espeon glared at her, "And your presence here had already overstayed your welcome," she said before nudging Furret forward.

"Hey, don't push me," Furret said, shook her body to stop Espeon from pushing her a second longer.

Purugly walked in front of the ladies, stopping them in their tracks, "Oh, come on. We've never got to know each other."

"There are _many_ reasons I do not intend on having a conversation with you," Espeon said, taking a step back.

"Ouch, darling," Purugly said, in a faux hurt tone, "You hurt my widdle feelings," She curled her bottom lip and batted her eyelids.

Espeon scoffed in disgust as Wormadam hopped forward, glaring at the cat, "If you try anything, you'll regret it!"

Purugly narrowed her eyes at the cop and leaned forward, "And why is that?"

Out of nowhere, a large hole opened up, leaving them in mid-air. They stared down in shock.

"That wasn't a response I had in mind," Purugly said, eyes bugged.

The ladies fell in and screamed. Chandelure attempted to fly away, but the hole started acting like a vacuum and pulled him in. He screamed as the hole slammed shut as if it had never happened.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Espeon:** (She glared at the camera) I dreaded the day I'd have to speak with that _cat_. (She sighed) Luckily, we're on separate teams, so our interactions will be minimal at best.

 **Chandelure:** With Purugly and I are out of the challenge, along with Turtonator, and most likely Quagsire, our team is down to Komala, Jellicent, Ninjask, and Sableye. (He looked annoyed) Pardon me to be rude, but I don't like our odds right now.

* * *

Araquanid couldn't help but feel just a little intimidated by his current company. On his left was probably the most terrifying man he had ever met in his entire life, while on his right was his control freak leader who clearly was just itching for a reason to cause conflict with the blimp. To put it simply, he felt uncomfortable because not only were the two much stronger than him physically, but also clearly were very much at some kind of mental conflict with one another.

After a moment, the spider coughed, "So...You guys listen to any kind of music."

Drifblim nodded his head, "Yes. Piano is rather relaxing."

Yanmega shrugged, "Eh, I'll listen to mostly anything. Just as long as it ain't too slow. I can't stand slow music, since it just drags everything to a halt."

After that, everything just went back to the awkward silence they had mostly grown used to. However, this time it was luckily cut short by a series of rather loud footsteps coming down the hall, causing all three to tense up, before the two in the front got into battle-ready poses, while the spider mostly just cowered in the back. Luckily, instead of any kind of intimidating force, all that entered their sight were a particular bird and octopus.

Blinking at this, Yanmega let out a sigh, "Oh thank god, it's just you two," he noticed something, "Wait, where's Zebstrika?"

Octillery blinked, "Oh, the old dude got thrown out a window by curtains."

This caused the three to stare on in shock, as Araquanid coughed, "Um...What? How the heck could that possibly even happen to the guy?"

Xatu interrupted before Octillery could say anything more, "It's not important. Have you located the message?"

Drifblim shook his head, "Sadly, no. It has been a rather elusive target. We have not seen it, or any hints for where it could possibly even be."

Yanmega growled to himself, "Yeah, this dude chose the wrong door to take us down. Maybe the others have gotten a bit luckier though."

As he said this, the blimp began to glare at the dragonfly for the comment, with Yanmega returning the glare, as they stared into each other's eyes in fury. However, before this conflict could potentially escalate to worse levels, footsteps could be heard running towards them down the hall, causing all five to turn their stares towards the footsteps. Soon after, Leavanny ran up to the two, Komala clenched in her arms.

"Have any of you found the message?" The bug quickly said, as she awaited any kind of response.

However, before any further words could be exchanged, a sudden loud clang could be heard above, before a large amount of metal bars suddenly fell from the ceiling, trapping all seven players inside the cage, as they all gasped in shock.

Drifblim quickly punch the bars near him, only for him to leave no impact, as he growled, "Dammit!"

Soon, all seven players, excluding Komala, began to strike and attack the bars, only for the cage to begin to lower into the ground, with all of them disappearing from sight entirely, before a brand new wooden floor replaced where it had once been. The house had just swallowed the seven players, leaving only four players left in the entire mansion.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Yanmega:** (He groaned to himself) God dammit, if I counted correctly, that means that the only player on our team who's still in the challenge, (His groans grew louder) is Hydreigon...We're so fucking screwed.

* * *

Quagsire couldn't help but feel just a little scared right now. Earlier, he had lost Chandelure and Purugly, and now, he not only couldn't find them, or anyone else for that matter, but the rooms had already grown more quiet and even darker in appearance over time.

Letting out a heavy breath, he said to himself, "Don't worry, everything's okay. Just think about what mommy would tell you.

He looked up towards the sky, expecting some kind of flashback to appear, only for nothing to happen, "Oh...I guess those are only in cartoons, huh?"

After a moment though, he began to hear some kind of...Singing? Yeah, not only singing, but he could hear instruments too, and it was absolutely beautiful to hear. It was possibly one of the most amazing things he had ever heard in his life. The sounds of piano and violin filled throughout the entire hallway, as he began to run towards the noise, wishing to hear it even closer to him, so he can truly experience this music closer to him.

Finding the source of the sound, Quagsire opened a door, running inside, only for his eyes to widen in shock at all that surrounded him. It was a large theater-like room, with about fifteen rows of different seats, all of which were pointed towards the stage ahead of him, and on-said stage, was a single Froslass, who continued to sing her tune, as it echoed through the mansion. And standing in front of her, were three different letters, all of which had a singular stamp on the front. One was mustard yellow, another was bright blue, and the last was neon pink.

As he continued to listen on, Quagsire said, "Excuse me, ma'am."

Suddenly, the ghost stopped her singing, as she looked down at the water fish. Soon after, he smiled up at her, "You have a beautiful voice."

As he said this, he continued to keep on a face of pure compassion, as the Froslass blinked. After a moment, she returned the smile, as she reached for the yellow-stamped envelope, and floated down to him, handing him the letter, with a quiet, "Thank you."

Suddenly, she disappeared in a puft of smoke, and the room suddenly was dark. A candle appeared next to the envelopes, illuminating them just enough to where you could easily make them out in the darkness. As this happened, the three other doors in the room slammed open.

Meowstic ran inside, panting heavily, "Wow, who knew a spider actually wanted both of us?"

Raichu entered next, calmly stepping inside with a sigh, before beginning to scratch his back. A terrified Hydreigon also ran into the room, only to suddenly scream upon seeing the other three. After a moment though, all three new arrivals took notice of something. The two remaining stamped envelopes, as they all turned to glance at one another, before glancing back at the letters, determined looks now on all their faces.

* * *

The hosts were watching through the tablets, chatting about the challenge. Meanwhile, the contestants who were eliminated from the challenge stood nearby, waiting for the challenge for the challenge to end.

Ursaring leaned his head towards his teammates, "Hey, do you think we have a chance?"

"Our team is the only one to still have two members," Espeon said, "Our odds are better than the other teams'"

"Meowstic, maybe," Bastiodon said, narrowing his eyes, "But Raichu? That drunken mouse wouldn't find it!"

"Oh, you're just pissed because he casted you aside," Wormadam said, smirking at Bastiodon, who stopped glaring and took a step backward.

"Are you sure, Hydreigon can do this?" Octillery asked her teammates, "The girl has, like, three people inside her!"

Drifblim nodded, "Yes, I am. In the end, I am confident in her abilities. She may not look the part, but she has so much potential."

"I guess," Yanmega muttered before glancing at Infernape, who stood away. For once, he was not smoking his usual cigar.

Sableye glared at the fire monkey and growled, "That old bastard is going to pay for this!" She muttered. She stopped growling, feeling Komala's sleepy head slump against her. She stopped glaring, just relieved to see her friend was okay.

"How did Quagsire survive this long?" Turtonator asked, glancing at her teammates.

Ninjask shrugged, "Element of surprise?"

"Surprise or not, I have doubt to believe Quagsire will even find-" Chandelure was interrupted, seeing Quagsire burst out of the mansion.

"I found it!" The water fish announced happily, a big dopey grin on his face.

The entire cast was suddenly silent, as everyone looked on at Quagsire, who smiled at everyone, seemingly unaware of what's going on at the moment.

"Put it in the mailbox, you dumbass!" Sableye shouted, pointing at the mailbox close to Quagsire.

Blinking, he looked at the letter, before stepping up to the mailbox, opening it slightly, then dropping it inside, before smiling, "Did I win?"

Uxie and Azelf stared at him, flabbergasted. Mesprit, on the other hand, cheered, "And Quagsire wins it for the Unique Uxie!"

Unique Uxie turned to stare at the goofball, who still gave him a goofy grin.

"That was _epic!_ " Ninjask shouted, grinning.

He and his teammates cheered and ran over to Quagsire and gave their congratulation to him. Turtonator smiled and hugged him, while Purugly kissed him on the cheek. As this happened, Quagsire suddenly screamed, "I did something!"

As he said this, he began to quickly run all around the mansion at an unimaginable speed, eventually becoming almost invisible to the eye. As this happened, he suddenly stopped next to Uxie, and grabbed hold of him into a bear hug, beginning to crush the poor host's back, "I did it!"

Uxie gasped in pain, before turning to his siblings, "Help...Me…"

Azelf blinked, before giving him a sadistic smirk, "Nah, I think I'll let him have his fun."

Mesprit giggled at his yellow brother's karma in a form of Quagsire.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Quagsire:** (He was dialing something rapidly into a phone, as he held it close to his head. After a moment, a voice came on the other line) Mom, I won a challenge for my team! Are you proud of me, Mom? (However, instead of a real response, he started to hear loud and aggressive screaming on the other side, several threats being made against him, but he didn't seem to notice. After a moment, he hung up) Today's the best day in the history of good days! I had fun, made some more friends, found this in the mansion, (He pulled out a large Ariados egg, which he held close to him), and made my teammates proud! Everything's looking up Quagsire!

 **Chandelure:** (He stared at the camera, flabbergasted) He… _Won_?

 **Wormadam:** (She looked annoyed) That couldn't have been any more embarrassing.

 **Yanmega:** (He had his head resting against his legs) I, I don't...I have no words. I mean, good for Quagsire, but still… (He groaned)

* * *

Azelf stopped smiling at Uxie's torture, and realized something, "Wait a minute, if you're here, Quagsire, where are the other players?"

His question was answered when the door burst open again. Meowstic went straight for the mailbox, putting the letter inside. He let out a sigh, "Finished it," he said.

"And so, Mysterious Mesprit rank second and also safe from the elimination!" Azelf said, grinning.

The Mysterious Mesprit let out a collective sigh of relief.

Meowstic walked over to them, "Sorry for abandoning you. I made a choice."

Wormadam gave him a suspicious glare, "You did keep us safe from the votes, so you're off the hook."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Wormadam:** (She glared at the camera) For now.

 **Meowstic:** I'm aware that some of my choices today are controversial. (He showed a small smile) But in the end, it really paid off. The question is now, how will it affect me in the long term of the game?

 **Bastiodon:** It's not as great as the Golden Inn, but at least I'll get to sleep in an _actual_ bed tonight. (He glared at the camera) But that has-been mouse is _really_ starting to become a pain in my ass.

* * *

After Uxie finally freed himself from Quagsire's hug, he took a huge gasp of air. He shot the goofball a hateful glare, and then floated over to his siblings, who both gave him a smirk.

"Enjoy your hug?" Mesprit asked, smirking.

Uxie pointed at her, "Don't test me," he growled before teleporting away. He returned a few seconds later with Raichu and Hydreigon, who both looked surprised.

"So, today's result is Unique Uxie in first place, Mysterious Mesprit in second place, and the Awesome Azelf has come in last," Uxie said.

Raichu showed a small smile, while Hydreigon could only stare on, before looking down at the ground, "I failed…"

Azelf floated forward, facing the Awesome Azelf, "Yeah, sadly for you guys, one of you will be spending last night tonight because that person will be going home tomorrow. I'll see ya guys there."

Upon saying that, the Azelf were silent, until Yanmega began screaming in irritation, " _God dammit!_ "

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Hydreigon:** (She looked downcast, as she mumbled) I couldn't...Even prove myself...In the end.

 **Yanmega:** (He rubbed his head in annoyance) While I probably would vote for Hydreigon on any other day, me and Infernape still need Drifblim gone. The sooner he's out of the way, the sooner I'll be back in power.

 **Xatu:** So, our first elimination has finally arrived. It'll be an interesting one, to say at least.

* * *

 _ **Day 7 - Elimination Day**_

* * *

 **Beach**

Araquanid wasn't really sure who he was gonna vote for tonight. Regardless of the challenge's ending, he couldn't possibly bring himself to vote for Hydreigon, if only because he still thought she's kind of cute. On the other hand, nobody really messed up, so no matter what, tonight was gonna be a surprise to say the least. As he walked along the beach, he eventually came to a stop, before sitting down and letting out a sigh.

"Hey," A disembodied voice said.

Turning in surprise, Araquanid was met with the sight of a certain octopus. Sending a glare her way for a moment, he muttered, "What, do you want to make fun of me again? Because if so, try to at least make it a little quicker than last time."

Octillery shrugged, "Okay then. I'm sorry."

The spider's eyes bugged out, "...Okay, didn't expect to hear that."

Octillery looked at the sea, "I've been doing a lotta thinking. You know, on what I've been saying to you for the past couple of days. I was kinda of a bitch about it."

Blinking at this, Araquanid turned away, "Honestly, I can't even blame you. As much as I don't like it, basically everything you said about me was true. I'm basically a loser with no friends, no social skills, and basically nobody to talk to."

Octillery remained silent, thinking about what Araquanid just said to him. He was right about how she was right about his pathetic social life. How can a guy like him be possibly stand any chance of getting a friend? Or forming a relationship? But then, she thought back to what Xatu said yesterday. How her words had affected the poor guy more. She couldn't stop thinking about it no matter how much she wanted to forget it. There was a way to put an end to these thoughts, and it wasn't alcohol or her 'White Junk'.

She looked back at him, "What if I help you?"

Araquanid turned to her, "What do you mean by that?"

"What if I help you gain a social life? Actual friends? Being in an actual relationship?"

Blinking, he narrowed his eyes, "You aren't kidding?"

Seeing him looking mad, Octillery held up a tentacle, "Sorry. Didn't mean to hurt ya or anything. What I mean is, I could help you gain all that by becoming your wing babe."

Giving her an odd look, he began to think, "...Eh, what have I got to lose? Besides, unlike most, you at least said sorry, so at least I know you don't hate me."

Octillery gave him a look, "I never hated you. In fact, you're probably the most tolerable out of everybody here, I think."

Blinking at this, he smiled, "Well, good to know I guess," he began to look out at the sea, "Also, sorry for shunning you for the past couple days myself. That wasn't exactly a nice move on my part either."

Octillery waved it off in dismissal, "Can't blame ya, though. Nobody likes a bitch, and I acted like one," She turned around to face him, "While we're on good terms, let me tell ya, I hooked up with a lot of people, and I hooked others with the other people. But given your social status, you're gonna be my greatest challenge yet."

He smiled, "That and we're sorta the youngest people here by a decent amount."

"That's make us better," Octillery said, giving him a smile, "So until either of us has been eliminated, or until the end of the game, will you let me be your wing babe?"

He blinked, before smiling, "Sure...And thanks in advance, regardless of any kind of outcome. This is actually one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me in concept alone."

"Keep that mind when we'd find you a boyfriend," Octillery said, smiling.

Araquanid blushed, "...I'm straight."

"I'm just trying to help you explore your options," Octillery said, smirking, "And _hello_ , who doesn't love guy on guy action?"

While they discussing about possible relationship for Araquanid, and how he kept claiming he wasn't into men, they were unaware that Leavanny watched them in the background, showing a tiny smile, before frowning again.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Leavanny:** Perhaps, there is hope for Octillery after all.

 **Araquanid:** (He gave the camera a smile) Huh...Guess Octillery really was my friend in the end. If I go home tonight, I'd honestly be happy just knowing that.

 **Octillery:** Well, I've got my work cut out for me. But, hey, if I can hook up shitty people with popular people, I can totally make it work for Araquanid. (She smiled)

* * *

 **Campground**

Yanmega returned to the campground and landed nearby Infernape, who was resting against the Bronze Shack's wall. Yanmega slammed his head and groaned, "Did the hosts even have hidden anymore damn idols?!"

Infernape puffed on his cigar and exhaled smoke into the air, and shrugged in disinterest.

Yanmega lifted his head off the ground, raising a brow at him, "How are you not freaking out right now? You do realize that we're on the chopping block, tonight, right?"

Infernape tilted his head up, staring at the sky, "Don't give a shit at this point."

Yanmega looked concerned. The tone in Infernape's voice was drained of life. He hovered and moved closer to his friend, "You know, you were really zoned out since the challenge. Nobody tell me what happened in there."

"It's best if you didn't know," Infernape said, stood up and started walking away.

"Was it that bad?" Yanmega said, eyes widened.

Infernape stopped and looked back at him, "Do yourself a favor. Never start smoking if you're feeling too stressed. All that calming down bull is nothing more than shit," He dropped the cigar on the ground and stomped it out before picking it up and throwing it in the trash bin.

Yanmega looked on with worried as he watched his friend walked away.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Infernape:** (He folded his arms and coughed before looking at the camera) For those who decide to put yourself on the frontline, stop and think it through. It could make a difference in your life… (He looked away)

 **Yanmega:** Not gonna lie, but I had thoughts about picking up smoking every now and then. But I'm making sure I keep Infernape's promise. I don't know what the hell is going on with him, but I don't like it one bit. (He looked concerned) The dude looked like he made a seriously shitting mistake. I just hope he's okay...

* * *

 **Middle of the Forest**

The remaining Azelf were beginning to grow both confused and impatient, as they waited for the organizer to finally arrive to this little meeting she set up. Drifblim rested against a tree, his arms acting as a type of rest for his head. Hydreigon sat on the ground with a downcast look on her face. And lastly, Zebstrika was walking around in circles, clearly beginning to grow impatient.

"Seriously, where is she?" Zebstrika said to nobody in particular.

Drifblim rose his head, "Be patient. She'll be here soon."

As he said this, as if on-cue, a certain bird descended from the sky, as she smiled at the group of contestants, "Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to prepare something."

The three all exchanged looks, before Drifblim gave her a look, "Okay...So what did you need from us."

Xatu smiled, "I have a proposal for all of you…"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Xatu:** (She smiled at the camera with a knowing look) Destiny has been set in motion, and nobody shall stop it.

* * *

 **Elimination Ceremony**

The scene cut away to a new scene, now focusing on a campfire pit. The nine members of the Awesome Azelf sat on the logs available, as they stared on at Azelf, who floated by the podium in front of the team. Mesprit and Uxie sat in the back, and two bleachers filled with the immune players stood even further back.

Azelf smiled at the team, "Welcome, Awesome Azelf, to both your first elimination ceremony, and the first proper one of the season, considering Granbull was kinda screwed last time and everything."

The Mysterious Mesprit exchanged wary glances.

"Okay, this is how is going to works, one by one, I will call out your name to come up and receive these Oran Berries," Azelf said, gesturing to a silver platter filled with eight Oran Berries, "If you do not get one, that's mean you are walking down the dock and ride the same Wailord who brought you here, meaning you are out of the competition. For _good_!"

Some of the less brave teammates jumped by Azelf's sudden raise in his voice. Azelf held up an Oran Berry, "The first Oran Berry goes to...Hydreigon!"

The dragon's eyes widened, before awkwardly catching the berry in one of her mouths, "I...I'm actually safe…"

Azelf remained silent for a moment before speaking up, "Octillery!"

Octillery and Araquanid exchanged glances before Azelf revealed the third name, "Araquanid!"

He smiled to himself, "Huh, made it past three episodes. Honestly way further than I thought I'd get already."

Octillery patted him on the back, smiling as the pair walked over to receive their Oran Berries, "Get used to good news more often."

"Zebstrika!" Azelf shouted.

The zebra stood up, "Hell yeah, still in the running!"

"Yanmega!" Azelf said, smiling.

Yanmega let out a huge sigh of relief, but gave Infernape a worried look before heading over to Azelf to receive his berry.

Azelf looked back at the remaining four players. Leavanny and Infernape exchanged glances. Drifblim kept a stoic look on his face, but remained determined nonetheless. Xatu remained still, not showing any emotion, "You all have gathered at least one vote. But the only person with one vote is Drifblim!"

Yanmega frowned as Drifblim floated over to them, receiving his berry. Noticing this, the blimp glared at the dragonfly, "It appears my voter is at least obvious."

Yanmega growled, before realizing, "Wait...One vote?"

Azelf remained silent, watching the final three's reaction, "Leavanny!"

Leavanny stood up and walked over to receive her berry, but not before glancing at the final two. Wary for Infernape, but worried for Xatu.

It was then, Xatu had finally glanced at Infernape, whose eyes remained on the ground.

"So the oldest players in this competition are both in tonight's bottom two." Azelf said, grinning at the increasing tension, "Infernape, you're here because of your little fire almost cause serious harm! And for Xatu…" He looked confused, "Not sure why, but you're here," He smiled once more, "One of you will stay, and one of you is leaving. The final berry goes to…"

Xatu looked back at Azelf.

Infernape looked up and took a deep breath, preparing himself for this moment.

"Infernape," Azelf said, smiling.

Infernape's eyes grew as big as a dinner plate, and his jaws dropped. He snapped his head at Xatu, who gave him a smile. He looked back at his teammates, "But, I don't understand! How am I still here? I voted for myself!"

The cast all gasped in surprise at this, as Yanmega screamed, "Dude, what the heck! We could have taken out Drifblim!"

The blimp glanced at him, "No, you couldn't have."

The dragonfly casted him a glare, before turning back to the monkey, "Seriously, man, what the hell happened in the mansion?"

Infernape stood up, "I started a fire, which almost gotten several players killed."

"It's true!" Sableye shouted, glaring at him, "He didn't even react afterward!"

Infernape faced the Unique Uxie, specifically towards Sableye and Komala, "I'm sorry. What I did was unforgivable," He turned back to Yanmega, "I'm sorry for not siding with you tonight, but I couldn't bring myself to vote for anyone but me."

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Well, regardless, Xatu received four votes tonight, so she's the one that's outta here."

Infernape snapped his head at Xatu, who walked over to him, "How did you possibly gets votes? You did nothing wrong!" He said, looking bewildered.

"You aren't the only person who voted for themselves tonight," Xatu said, giving him a small smirk.

"What?!" Infernape and Yanmega shouted in unison.

"What?!" Leavanny, Octillery, and Araquanid shouted in unison.

"What?!" Mysterious Mesprit and Unique Uxie shouted in unison.

"Okay, I'm confused!" Furret said, frowning.

Drifblim rose a hand, "Xatu said she wished to leave the competition to put destinies into effect this night. She came to me and the others, and we voted for her. None of us had plans anyways, so we did not see the issues in eliminating her."

Infernape snapped his head back at Xatu, "But why would you throw away your own chances of winning the money?"

"I've never needed the money," Xatu said, "I only came here because I saw a vision of myself being eliminated, and I knew I have to fulfil it."

"That's the only reason you came onto this show?" Leavanny said, walking over to her, bewildered.

Xatu gave her a smile, "Pretty much, but also, as I've learned about this show, I received visions regarding all of you. Let's just say, a few of you needed a wake up call."

Octillery frowned, knowing she was referring to her.

Uxie groaned, "Okay, we are going way beyond our time limit, so can we wrap this up? Anyone who wants to see Xatu, aka Xanthippe Bob, off, meet her by the dock. Everyone else, head back to the campground now."

* * *

 **{{Voting Confessionals}}**

 **Araquanid:** Honestly, I don't know who I even could vote for. But I think Octillery's gonna vote for Leavanny most likely due to the two not getting along, so I guess I vote her.

 **Drifblim:** (He gave the camera a stoic look) Xatu requested I vote her off. I shall listen to her demands out of respect, and kindness.

 **Hydreigon:** (She glanced from side to side) I honestly think...I want to vote for...Infernape, but...Since Xatu wants to...Leave, I'll vote her...But Infernape still scares...Me.

 **Infernape:** (He groaned) What was I thinking coming onto this show? I relapsed yesterday, and I've only been here for a week now! I can't put others at risk in case it happens again. I'm voting for myself. **  
**

 **Leavanny:** Infernape needs to leave for his and everyone else's safety. Coming here wasn't a good idea for you. I vote for Infernape.

 **Octillery:** Leavanny! As long as she's around, she'll make this place a total downer. We're better off without her.

 **Xatu:** I have always planned to gets myself eliminated at first chance. All the others need to be here more than me. (She smiled) I have no regret regarding my time here. I vote for myself.

 **Yanmega:** Simple, Drifblim's going down. The dude keeps questioning my leadership, so the longer he's around, the longer it's gonna be a pain to actually lead the team.

 **Zebstrika:** (He shrugged) Xatu's a friend of mine, and while I don't like it, she does want to leave. So seeya I guess.

* * *

 **Dock**

Xatu flew over to the dock and landed. She turned around, facing Leavanny, Infernape, Drifblim, and Octillery approached her, "You're here to say goodbye?"

"I…Don't know what to say," Infernape said, looking guilty, "It doesn't feel right for me to stay."

"Everyone here deserves to stay, including you," Xatu said, giving him a sympathetic smile, "It was just unfortunate that your violent past had affected you yesterday."

Infernape remained silent, looking down until he felt a wing touched his shoulder. He looked up, seeing Xatu giving him a large smile.

"To one eldest to another, please make worth of your time here. Otherwise, you'll never find out your outcome in this game."

Infernape stared at her for a moment, before giving her a nod, "I swear."

As the two pulled apart, Drifblim approached Xatu, "You earned my respect during the game. It's tragic knowing I have to see you off like this."

"It isn't," Xatu said, smiling, "I made my choice, and I stand by it. No regret from me."

As she said this, Drifblim couldn't help but smile, as he offered a hand, "Good response."

Xatu shook his hand, and then faced Leavanny, who looked disappointed, "Did you have to go so soon?"

"It's the only way everyone will gets another chance. And for what it worth, I'm glad to have become friends with you."

Leavanny was silent before showing a rare smile, "Me too. This island is going to be crazier without you."

Xatu chuckled, "You'll survive."

"Part of me is worried about that," Leavanny said, chuckling.

Xatu smiled, until she laid her eyes on Octillery, who looked away and rubbed her tentacles, "Hey, I thought about what you said to me before, and I-"

"You don't have to explain any further," Xatu said, giving her a smile, "I already know, and I'm proud of you for it."

Octillery looked up in surprise, before showing a small smile.

Xatu hopped onto the Wailord and faced them again, "Well, everyone. I bid you all good luck in this game. Farewell."

The Wailord began to leave, taking Xatu away from the island. The contestants on the dock waved at her until she was nothing more than a spec on the horizon.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Infernape:** (He let out a sigh and then looked at the camera) Xatu was right. I should've gone home, but instead I've got a second chance. (His eyes were filled with determination) And I'm gonna make sure I'd make the most of it.

* * *

All three of the hosts were now at the dock, where Xatu was last seen before leaving the island.

Uxie sighed, "Well, that was a lot more boring than last time. Both of the bottom two voted for themselves."

"At least we had a proper elimination this time," Mesprit said.

The yellow-headed legend groaned, "Well, either way, this ain't gonna be as popular as last time now."

Azelf rolled his eyes, "Why am I suspecting this is going to be a recurring theme at every end of the episode?"

Uxie growled, "Well, now I'm gonna make sure it isn't."

"So!" Mesprit said, smiling at the camera, "This ended up being an incredibly long episode, no thanks to Uxie's way too long challenge," She nodded her head at Uxie,

Uxie glared at her, "Wow, for the 'nice one', you're kind of a bitch today."

"Hey, you were rude to me first, so it's only fair," Mesprit said, smiling.

He rolled his eyes, as he whispered to Azelf, "When the hell did she grow a spine?"

"Since you became even more of an asshole," Azelf said, he faced the camera, ignoring Uxie's irritated glare, "With Xatu eliminating herself, will Infernape make the most of his second chance?"

"Will Quagsire stop being a dumbass but still win?" Uxie rolled his eyes at the comment.

"And will we have to put up with more incredibly long episodes? Find out next time on Total!"

Uxie growled at her, "Pokemon."

"Alphabetical!" Azelf shouted, grinning.

* * *

 _ **{{Vote Count}}**_

 _ **Xatu : Four votes (Drifblim, Hydreigon, Xatu, Zebstrika)**_

 _ **Infernape : Two votes (Infernape, Leavanny)**_

 _ **Leavanny : Two votes (Araquanid, Octillery)**_

 _ **Drifblim : One vote (Yanmega)**_

* * *

 **Unique Uxie** \- Chandelure, Jellicent, Komala, Ninjask, Purugly, Quagsire, Sableye, Turtonator

 **Mysterious Mesprit** \- Bastiodon, Espeon, Furret, Meowstic, Raichu, Ursaring, Vanilluxe, Wormadam

 **Amazing Azelf** \- Araquanid, Drifblim, Hydreigon, Infernape, Leavanny, Octillery, Yanmega, Zebstrika

 **Eliminated** \- Granbull, Xatu

* * *

 _ **Xebla :**_ Goodness me!I wasn't expecting to finish this episode at all!

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Well, when I'm co-writing, weird shit happens.

 _ **Xebla :**_ But sometimes, we need weird magic shit in this story. So anyways, last time, Xatu was eliminated fourth. This time we had her out second.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ How tragic, but to be honest, Xatu wasn't nearly as important in this series as an actual character. No, her main role in this was to spark a shit ton of plot lines and help people along with development. Otherwise, she simply had no reason to last on this show, so we decided to cut her early.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Everyone else has way more story to offer, so it's for the best that Xatu should go. But that doesn't mean we don't like her. She was fun to write, and the only reason I hesitated on eliminating her before was because of her friendship with her and Leavanny.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Yeah, that was honestly one of my favorite interactions last time, and still is. But again, her time was limited. So today, we say adios to our favorite fortune telling bird.

 _ **Xebla :**_ She was gonna be eliminated first to make it ironic that the first contestant to arrive would also be the first to leave. But then Granbull happened.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Not the correct way of using irony, but yeah, it's true. Either way, we're halfway through the _original_ Alphabet run in length, and it's been less than a month.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Hooray! And speaking of the original Alphabet, the Zoroark Brothers Aftermath will run the same as before. Every five episodes. So you'll be seeing them at some point. Now I'm ending this author's note so I can have my _super_ late lunch already!

* * *

 _ **Xatu :**_ Review, fellow readers. May I wish you all a good fortune with this story.


	4. Detrimental Doomsday!

_**Xebla :**_ So! Here are we are! Our fourth episode already!

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Honestly, going slower than my usual schedules. But then again, time zones.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Still fast though. At this pace, we could finish this story in about a year!

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Oh, I have no doubt about that. I helped Delta finish his story. We did twelve chapters and finished it in just one month.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Well, if we've learned anything from our last episode, we should've started the challenge a bit earlier. So we have this episode to make up for it.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Honestly, I prefer interactions over challenges, but I can see why we should do them earlier.

 _ **Xebla :**_ We had nearly 30,000 words last time. 'Nuff said.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Anyways, without further to do, let's get started!

 **(Disclaimer) :** We do not own any of the Pokemon except their original personalities. Nor any content from Total Drama.

* * *

 **Episode 4 - Detrimental Doomsday!**

* * *

 _ **Day 7 - Elimination Day (Post-Elimination)**_

* * *

The camera flicked on once more, showing the world the island at night, the gloomy sky and cloudy weather seemingly coming to a climax, and the hot temperature had decreased a surprising amount. The hosts were at the dock, ready to start their next recap.

"It's hard to believe it's been a week already," Mesprit said, smiling.

Her yellow-headed brother rolled his eyes, "Please, I believe it. I have the headaches to prove it."

"You always have headaches," Azelf said, "I'm sure you'll survive, considering you live with us."

Uxie growled at his brother, before turning away with a huff, "Just get this damn recap over with."

Mesprit faced the camera, smiling, "Last time on Total Pokemon Alphabetical! Using the info she had on Turtonator and Vanilluxe, Sableye came up with a plan to expose their relationship to everyone."

Uxie rolled his eyes, "And by plan, you mean she blatantly screamed at everyone that they were a thing."

Azelf chuckled, "I enjoyed that part," He looked at the camera, smiling, "On my team, Yanmega and Infernape tried to influence the others into voting out Drifblim. But instead, they set themselves on the wrong end of the stick, forcing them to run around the island like maniacs to find an idol, but to no luck."

"I feel bad for them, though," Mesprit said, showing a sympathetic look, "Yanmega was under a huge amount of stress, while Infernape…"

"During the challenge, the contestants had to find a Froslass and receive their team coloured envelope, and then place it inside the mailbox," Uxie said, "Just wish it didn't take that long to finish."

"Hey, you were the one who wanted a _five-story_ mansion, so who's fault was it?" Azelf said.

His apathetic brother growled at him, before turning to the camera, "In the end, the biggest idiot on the island somehow won the challenge for Unique Uxie. Honestly, I say he got lucky, because nobody that dumb could possibly actually do well at this game."

"Never underestimate anyone, especially someone like Quagsire," Mesprit said, jumping straight into defending Quagsire, frowning at her brother, "He has an element of surprise."

Uxie rose a brow, "Wow, favoritism much?"

"And speaking of element of surprise, one camper seem to zone out and almost burn the whole mansion down," Azelf said, frowning.

"I told you it could've come to that if Infernape found the armory," Mesprit said, frowning, "It brought back bad memories for him."

Uxie scoffed, "Please, if the moron didn't realize he might suffer a bit from some bad memories, he doesn't deserve my pity."

"Dissing a war veteran?" Azelf said, glaring at him, "That's cold, even for you."

"Fuck off, that idiotic bastard from earlier nearly crushed my ribs! I'm a little pissed if it wasn't obvious," Uxie growled at his siblings.

Mesprit glanced back at the camera, "It was Infernape's actions that almost got himself eliminated. He even voted for himself."

"But in the end, it was actually Xatu, who gathered her teammates and told them to vote her off to keep everyone else in," Azelf said, "Not my favourite kind, but it was surprising to say the least."

"What's the point of coming onto this show, if you're only showing up to get eliminated early?" Uxie said, annoyed, "If we're doing another season, we need to be thorough with our applications."

"Season two? We can talk about that when we're near the end of this season," Mesprit gave the camera a smile, "So, we're down to twenty four contestants! Who knows what will happen next? Well, here are some important questions for you to think about!"

"Who will win a battle of wits between Raichu and Bastiodon?" Uxie said, "Here's your answer, Raichu."

"Can Octillery do the impossible and get Araquanid a girlfriend?" Azelf asked, chuckling, "Good luck with that."

"I love romance, so I'm hoping for it," Mesprit said, "And what is Chandelure going to do with his notepad filled with info regarding the other contestants? Find out on this next exciting episode of Total!"

"Pokemon!" Azelf said, smiling.

Uxie blinked, before groaning, "...Alphabetical...God, this is so stupid."

* * *

 **Golden Inn**

Several hours had passed, and most had already gone to bed. Chandelure, however, remained in the living room, sitting on a loveseat, flipping through his notepad. Each page featured detailed information on each contestant, including Granbull and Xatu, but their names were crossed out. His eyes flickered downward, reading the lines of words on each page. Soon, he closed his notepad, and whispered, "I know what to do now."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Chandelure:** For this past week, I've been gathering information on all of the contestants here to determine who'd be my greatest asset, and who'd be my greatest challenge. For the latter, Sableye has proven to be a mighty thorn on my side. Any information she finds, she'll surely spill to the public, and by extension, the people here. Luckily, most of us have a mutual dislike of her, so her time in the competition hopefully shouldn't last. (He showed a small smile) As for the former, I've concluded my future allies should be in Ninjask and Turtonator. I believe I can put my trust in them.

* * *

Chandelure floated upstairs, glancing at Purugly, who was occupied with the arcade machine. Every time she moved the joystick, she wiggled her hips. Feeling his flames glowing brighter, Chandelure quickly looked away, mentally telling himself to keep the task at hand as his main priority.

He returned to his room, located at the furthest door on the left. He closed the door and turned around, facing the room he was in. The bedroom was a large space, with a handmade wooden wardrobe, a small collection of drawers, a balcony leading outside, and similarly to downstairs, the wall was coated in a golden paint. There were two double beds facing each other in the center of the room, with a night stand sitting beside each bed. There was also a door leading into a medium-sized bathroom, which contained a toilet, a sink, a remarkably large hot tub, a shower room, and three cupboards. The wall was covered in gold tiles.

He faced his roommate, Ninjask, who was reading a graphic novel about a teenage dragon from Johto. He floated over to Ninjask, who looked up from his book and smiled.

"Oh, hey dude," Ninjask said, "What's up?"

"Ninjask, I have a proposal to you," Chandelure said.

Ninjask's eyes widened, and held his hands up, "Dude, I'm flattered and all, but I'm not into dudes!"

Chandelure shook his head, "Not that kind of proposal. You see, for the past week, I've been watching from the sidelines; analysing you and our teammates. I was seeking a potential alliance member. After deducing my choices, I came to a conclusion by choosing you."

Ninjask's eyes became wider, "Really? Why me?"

"Loyalty could be etched into your family name, and possibly unluckiness as well," Chandelure said quietly on the unluckiness part, "However, you never gave up after being knocked down again and again. I always have admiration for anyone with that kind of strong will. It's your choice, though. So," he gave the ninja a puzzling look, "Do you want me to become your ally?"

Ninjask was silent, thinking about the offer for a second, before smiling, "I wasn't expecting to be receiving any offers to join an alliance, but yeah man, I'm in!"

Chandelure held a candle arm to his mouth, gesturing the ninja to be quiet, "Lower your voice. We don't want to risk being discovered."

Ninjask let out a sheepish chuckle, "Right, right. My bad, dude," he said in a quieter voice.

Chandelure smiled, "Splendid. From this point onward, we'll look out for each other. We'll search for the idols together, discuss the votes together, and create plans together."

Ninjask nodded and smiled, "Awesome."

"However, I am considering another ally joining us."

"Like who?" Ninjask asked.

"Turtonator," Chandelure said, "She stepped up whenever Quagsire was incapable to act as our leader."

"He did win the challenge for us, though."

Chandelure sighed, "Yes, I am aware of that," He shook his head, "His surprising victory still has me flabbergasted."

Ninjask raised a brow, "Flabbergasted? What's that? Vomiting?"

"No, it's mean surprise someone greatly. It's a verb."

Ninjask scratched his head and nodded albeit doesn't understand it, "Okay…"

"Back onto the main topic, Turtonator brought her husband along with her into this game. So, if we bring Turtonator in, Vanilluxe would surely follow."

"But isn't Vanilluxe on a different team?"

"He is, but he's well liked amongst the Mysterious Mesprit. So as far as we're concerned, he should be safe. Soon, we need to recruit Turtonator."

"Why not tomorrow?" Ninjask asked.

"Sableye," Chandelure said, "We cannot risk having her expose us."

Ninjask nodded, "Got it."

"And with that, do you have any question for me?"

Ninjask shrugged and smiled, "Not really. I guess go Awesome Shadow Strike, aka Team AS…" He trailed off, realizing the acronym, and seeing Chandelure's unimpressed stare. He chuckled sheepishly, "Let's just called ourselves Shadow Strike."

Chandelure nodded, "Better."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Chandelure:** (He showed a small smile)Now that I've obtained an ally, it increases my chances of winning. In the meantime, no one must know about us. Simply the word "alliance" can easily paint a target on our backs. From my observation, Ninjask doesn't appear to be one to announce news to everyone.

 **Ninjask:** (His eyes beamed) Alliance. I'm teaming up with Chandelure in an alliance. (He pumped his fists in the air) Awesome! I didn't expect to be anybody's first choice, but who cares? I'm in one! It was cool of him to trust me enough to be his ally. My family taught me that team stands for "Together, Everyone Achieves More". I just hope Chandelure didn't bring me into the alliance just to use me. If so, (He brought out his nunchaku and narrowed his eyes) he'll feel the wrath of the Steel Twins! (He swung around his nunchaku, only to hit himself in the face) _Ow!_

* * *

In the room beside the men, Sableye was standing on her bed, using a hand drill to make a small hole in the wall. Resting beside her, Komala let out a yawn and opened her eyes midway. She looked up at her, "Are you…Doing this right now?" She asked.

"Chandelure and Ninjask could be discussing something huge in hiding," Sableye whispered, "There's no telling what they're doing in there. By drilling a hole in every room, I'll be able to eavesdrop on everyone without them knowing it."

The koala stared up in confusion at the imp, before saying, "You aren't...Only gonna be finding secrets the whole game...Right?"

Sableye stopped drilling, and slowly turned her head towards her, "If they're getting... _Busy_ , I'll look away. But if not, I'm looking in for some golden secrets," She resumed drilling.

Komala let out a yawn, "If they are...It's good to know that we…Aren't the only people who're…Into the same gender."

Sableye shrugged, "That would be a nice thoug-Ahhh!" She was pulled down onto the bed. She glanced down at Komala, who clutched onto her chest, smiling. Sableye tried to gently push her off, "Komala, get off. I have work to do."

"We'll...Be in this room for...A couple of days," Komala said, nuzzling her on Sableye's chest, "We have time…" She closed her eyes and snored.

Sableye stopped pushing the little koala and stared at her. Seeing the small koala Pokemon sleeping on her had brought a smile on her face. She pressed her lips to the top of Komala's head, earning a pleasant mumbling from her. She laid her head back onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Komala.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Sableye:** (She snapped her head left and right, before facing the camera again) Okay, not only do Komala and I know each other, but we're dating. (She narrowed her eyes and pointed at the camera) If you have a problem with that, you'd better wish you won't become my enemy!

 **Komala:** (She clutched onto her pink stump, smiling) Despite what...People think of Sableye... She's a good person...Once you've got her to...Open up. (She let out a yawn) She looks cold on the outside...But she's warm on the inside.

* * *

 _ **Day 8 - Relaxation Day**_

* * *

 **Beach**

Another cloudy day had arrived, and so it was the perfect chance for a poor loser like Araquanid to receive his happy ending. To earn his happy ending, he sat with Octillery at the beach. He watched Octillery write down every woman's name in the sand.

"Okay, this is, like, every girl on this island," Octillery said, "We've crossed out the guys, but I'll keep them in mind just in case it could happen," she said, smiling.

The spider blinked, "Still not into guys," he began to smile at her, "But thanks for this. Honestly, having some help for this might make things easier on me."

"Totally not a problem. By the time one of us is gone, you'll totally become a new man!" Octillery looked down at the names on the sand, "Now, except for me, Xatu, and that psycho dog, we have ten ladies for you to grab. Problem is, some of them are, like, super old. So that's kinda limits your options."

Araquanid sighed, "Yeah, not gonna lie, I probably only really have a chance with people within eight years of me. Who does that take out of the equation?"

"Old hag, and the wife," Octillery said, crossing out Leavanny and Turtonator's names, "I can't tell the others' ages, but some could still be old, like in their thirties."

He shrugged, a smile on his face, "Honestly, I'd be willing to work with that."

Octillery raised a brow at him, "Seriously?" She shrugged, "Eh, I've seen kids my ages making out with staff at school. So I guess you're into that type, are you?"

The spider blinked, before tapping his chin, "I wouldn't go that far really, but I am into older women a little."

"You think you'd see yourself dating someone in their fifties?" Octillery asked, looking creeped out.

He quickly shook his head, "Oh hell no, I just mean I'm into girls only a little older than me. I'm fine with younger girls…," his face hardened in realization, "No, I don't mean it like that! God, how the hell do I make this not sound creepy?!"

"Yeah...You need a _lotta_ work," Octillery said, giving him a deadpan look before smirking, "But that's totally fine, because I'm here to help you get outta of this nasty funk."

He let out a sigh, "Yep, I'd probably be screwed otherwise. Anyways, where should we start?"

"Well, first off, what do you like in someone? Personality and appearance are important, and so is just how good they are in bed."

His face went red, as he covered it, "You didn't need to mention sex you know."

"Sure I did! Sex is, like, super important. If you're good in bed, chances are, people will come back for more. We'll discuss that when the time has come."

"I prefer we didn't," he deadpanned, "And wait, why do you think they're so important? Have you had sex or something, because if so, both _nice_ , and you're a little young."

Octillery nodded, "Yep. I have experience. That's what happens when you spend most of high school partying."

Ignoring this, he continued, "But yeah, really, I'd be fine with dating any of the available girls here. Not that picky right now...Except maybe Jellicent. She's kinda terrifying."

"Yeah...That girl is downright creepy. So unless you're into creepy stuff, she isn't your type right now?"

He quickly shook his head, "Yeah, no thanks. Besides maybe choking, I'm not really into anything," he realized what he said, "...I need to learn how to stop talking."

Octillery rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you need to work on how to use that mouth right," she said, crossing out Jellicent's name.

Araquanid blushed, "Okay, gonna hope that didn't mean what I think it means," he turned back to the sand, before staring at a particular name, "...How about Hydreigon first?"

Octillery tapped her chin, "Hmm...She is on our team, which probably would be easier than someone on a different team. But that girl has, like, three heads yammering on until she passes out. Why her?"

He shrugged, before smiling sheepishly, "I just think it's...Kinda cute how she acts is all."

Octillery stared at him, before shrugging, "Eh, I've seen people into weird shit. Now, the first thing you wanna do is to get her attention. If she notices you, that could easily fall into either good or bad. You wanna make sure she notices the good side of you. One look at bad stuff, and your chance of having relationship is almost zero."

He blinked, "Okay, one problem there...What exactly is my good side?"

Octillery stared at him in silence, blinking. The silence between the pair was becoming unbearable, until she finally broke the silence, giving him an awkward look, "Yeah…This is gonna be _hard_."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Octillery:** Coming into this, I knew it's gonna be totally hard. But Araquanid is, like, one of the most impossible people to pull off! He just screams someone who is destined to be alone forever. But, I made a promise to him that I'll find him a girlfriend. And I'm gonna get him one! (She smirked) If I can, like, pull this off, I'll be a master of shipping!

 **Araquanid:** (He sighed to himself) And thus, there goes my hope of finding a girl. Seriously, I'm a wreck. How the hell am I supposed to get a girlfriend in this state.

* * *

 **Dock**

Lying on the dock, Raichu had his paws on the back of his head, staring up at the sky. Despite it being filled with clouds, Raichu couldn't help but find it relaxing. Maybe it was because dark clouds meant possible lightning? Or perhaps it was to describe his current emotions. Either way, this was easily one of the more enjoyable things around here for him to do, at least by himself. Honestly, if he could find Drifblim, he'd probably prefer hanging out with him.

Little did he know, Bastiodon was standing nearby the dock, glaring at him. Espeon and Ursaring walked over to him, and then looked at Raichu.

"Bastiodon, what are you doing?" Espeon asked.

"I'm playing the role of a villain thinking of doing unspeakable things to that mouse," Bastiodon said, growling.

"Dude, all he did to you was abandon you," Ursaring said before tapping his chin, "That's pretty bad, but it's not like he left you for dead."

Bastiodon snapped his head at the pair, "He didn't just abandon me!" He whispered so Raichu wouldn't hear him, "He accused me of being a rotten actor! He also insulted me and my beloved family back home!" He leaned his head towards Espeon, "He called me a c-word."

Espeon widened her eyes before narrowing it, "Swearing is prohibited here."

"Exactly! We don't want someone to spread bad influence all over this island, shall we? After all, he was drunk out of mind. He probably didn't even _want_ to be here! So I'm thinking, the first chance we'd get, we vote him off."

"Whoa, dude, you're not thinking of throwing the challenge, are you?" Ursaring said, looking uneasy, "I mean, it was fine with Granbull since she's a horrible person, but Raichu?" He looked at the electric mouse resting, "He doesn't seem to be a bad dude."

"Anyone who curses at someone's family isn't considered a good person," Espeon said, now glaring at Raichu. She looked back at her teammates, "It's my duty to cleanse this island of devils and demons."

"And Raichu has a _lot_ of it," Bastiodon said, glancing at Raichu before staring at the ground.

Espeon nodded, "Don't worry, Bastiodon, we'll take care of him when our time has come."

Bastiodon looked up and gave her a smile, "Thank you. It's good to have people like you here to protect us."

Espeon returned a smile, "It is," She shot a glare at Raichu before walking away. She stopped, looking back at Ursaring, "Are you coming?"

As she said this, she didn't realize Ursaring was glaring down Bastiodon, before turning back to Espeon, "Yeah...Let's get going."

The pair began to walk away with Bastiodon on their tails. He stopped, looking back at Raichu and showed a smirk before walking away.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Bastiodon:** (He showed a smirk) That, my friends, is how you utilize acting in this game. Raichu still doesn't believe I'm a prenominal actor? Allow me to demonstrate. (He coughed his clear his throat. He started snickering before escalating to laughter, and then manically laughed like an evil villain with his head held back, his eyes filled with madness, and his front legs in the air. He stopped, took a deep breath and made a gesture across his face. He flashed a cocky smirk) And the emmy goes to...Me! Though then again, I already have so many, I'm starting to run out of space.

 **Raichu:** Yeah, don't think I didn't see Bastiodon talking to those guys. Do I know why or what they were talking about? No, but considering how he stared at me, probably won't end well for me if I'm not careful. Guess I'm gonna have to take him out earlier than expected.

* * *

 **Forest**

Hidden out in the middle of the forest, which spread for miles, Vanilluxe, Turtonator, and Jellicent were walking, looking around for the idol.

"So, Jellicent, if you have _somehow_ found an idol, I'd love to hear it now," Turtonator said, looking at the jellyfish in front of her, "Yanmega spent days and nights looking for one. Since he looks so stressed, he doesn't seem to have found one."

"Unfortunately, I haven't," Jellicent said, looking inside a hole inside a tree, "I spent a long time in the forest searching through every tree to see if one was hidden inside."

Vanilluxe blinked, "Every tree?" He looked around the forest and chuckled, "Goodness me, that's a lot of trees for you to search."

Jellicent floated back to her allies, disappointed, "Yeah. I can't even mark it because I don't want to risk having the others finding one before we do."

Turtonator nodded, "Smart move."

"Say, Jellicent, what do you normally do back home?" Vanilluxe asked.

Jellicent looked at him, raising a brow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, since your eerie personality was nothing more than a facade, who are you?"

"You know, I'm curious about that too," Turtonator said, "You never told me last night."

Jellicent was silent, before looking back at Turtonator, "I couldn't risk having Sableye spying on us. Arceus knows she'll hide herself _everywhere_ just to uncover a secret," She looked at Vanilluxe, "And as for who I am? Well, to put it simply, I'll be keeping that a personal secret for now. Right now, we only need to focus on the game. Everything outside of it doesn't matter."

Vanilluxe stopped smiling, while Turtonator frowned in suspicion. Noticing this, the jellyfish glared at the duo, "What, I never asked for your life stories. This is a game, and we most likely will never see each other again after it's over. As far as I'm concerned, you two don't need to know a thing about me other than that I'm your ally," she turned back to the path, before floating a long distance away, "Now keep searching. We need to find an idol before it's too late."

The married couple exchanged glances.

"I don't trust her one bit, Vanilluxe," Turtonator said, "We may have to get rid of her sooner than expected.

Vanilluxe blinked, before looking down, "B-But maybe she just has trust issues is all. I say we give it time," he smiled at his wife sheepishly, "After all, everyone has a little bit of good in them."

"What about Granbull?" Turtonator said, concerned.

The ice cream's face paled slightly, but he sighed, "Look, she was just misunderstood is all. Nobody's that bad. So please, just give Jellicent more of a chance, for me."

Turtonator stared at him, before looking at Jellicent and then back at her husband. She sighed, "Alright, we'll give her a chance. But if I see something suspicious, this alliance with her is over."

Vanilluxe smiled at his wife, "That's all I want," he began to fly ahead, "Now come on darling, we got idols to find!"

"Keep your voice down!" Turtonator said, eyes widened, "Don't alert everyone here!"

Vanilluxe chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry."

Turtonator rolled her eyes, but chuckled.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Jellicent:** Why does it matter letting them knows who I am? Let's face reality. If you're competing on this show with these guys, do you honestly expect to meet them again outside the game? We all have different lives to lead, dreams to chase, and our own family and friends to be with. Not to mention we all lives in different regions. Turtonator and Vanilluxe are from Alola, while I'm from Unova. To put it simply, it wouldn't work out anyways, so why even bother? I'm here to win, and nothing's gonna distract me from that.

 **Turtonator:** Have I trusted Jellicent since we became allies? Not once. (She narrowed her eyes) She lied to everyone about who she is, and even then, I'm wary of who the real Jellicent truly is. She could easily backstab us at the first chance she gets. If that happens, I'll tell everyone about her within a heartbeat.

 **Vanilluxe:** (He smiled) I'm so glad that Turtonator has decided to give our ally a chance. Sure, I would've like to know her better so Turtonator and I can both create a bond with her. But I shouldn't rush her. We've only been here for a week now. Some people opens up later than others. I'd like to believe Jellicent is one of them.

* * *

 **Clearing**

The sky was beginning to darken, as the sun slowly began to set across the island. Standing in the middle of it, Meowstic had his own plans for this time. Throwing all of his energy into it, he held up a metal baseball bat, as he brought it down hard onto some kind of wooden statue, shattering the head of it into pieces, as it fell backward into the dirt, as he let out a tired huff, before falling to the ground, barely holding himself up by the weight of his weapon. All around him laid a series of wooden targets, which now laid sprawled out onto the ground in some kind of massacre, as the cat began to slowly pick himself up off the ground.

He looked at all of the destroyed wooden targets around him, and then looked at his metal baseball bat, which had a small dent, but otherwise remained in good condition. A smile crept on his face.

"Zombies won't see what's coming," he said.

As he said this though, a voice said, "Impressive, but you're putting too much stress on your body."

Meowstic snapped his head at the sound, and raised his metal baseball, ready to strike at a moment's notice. He stopped glaring and lowered his weapon, seeing Drifblim floating just above him, looking down at him, as if to assert his superior strength in some regard. He sighed, lowering his weapon even more, "Don't sneak up on me like that. I don't like surprises."

The blimp continued to stare down at the cat, as he said, "You should have heard me coming. I made no effort to disguise myself, and if you had just been paying attention, you should have realized I was here."

Meowstic blinked before slapping a hand to his forehead and groaned, "You're right. Because I've been practicing so hard, I don't have much energy left in me now," He shook his head, "I can't believe I left myself be so vulnerable."

As he said this, Drifblim floated down to him, "You seem to see vulnerability as a weakness. It truly isn't. We all have moments of it, and those experiences only make us stronger. I recommend using this as a type of learning tool for the future."

Meowstic looked in deep thought about what Drifblim said and nodded, "You make a good point. I'll remember it for my next training session."

As the cat turned to leave though, the blimp spoke up, "Though I also know of one other weakness you suffer from. One that you seem determined to never fix."

Meowstic looked back at him, intrigued, "What is it?"

Drifblim floated closer to the cat, "Your incapability of forming meaningful connections with others. A weakness that truly shows the worst kind of vulnerability in a person. The kind that does nothing to help you."

"I can't risk connection," Meowstic said, frowning before looking away, "If a zombie apocalypse happens, I don't want to be too close with people, because if they die, I could be overwhelmed with grief and leave myself exposed as a zombie meal."

As he said this though, the blimp glared down at the cat, "I'm afraid that with that kind of mentality, you'll never be as strong as you want to be. Truly a waste of your potential."

Meowstic narrowed his eyes at him, "You don't know that. The zombie apocalypse can bring out the worst in people, especially your loved ones. Everyone is capable of doing horrible things when pushed into extreme circumstances."

Drifblim's glare didn't waver, before he turned away, "Such irrational thinking shall only lead to your own failure. One day, I hope you realize that, if only so you don't make my mistakes."

Meowstic turned around and walked away, glancing at the retreating Drifblim every now and then.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** Irrational thinking or not, it's still necessary to create a barrier around yourselves. Some people strike as soon as they've see a weakness. If I come across the competitors in an apocalypse, they might take advantage of me. (He shook his head) Just cannot afford to let myself exposed no matter where I am.

 **Drifblim:** Meowstic and I are very similar men...In the end, we both have similar mentalities on relationships. (He glared at the camera) But before this show, I made a vow to myself that I'd change that. Meowstic still seems to be new to the concept of having no true companions in his life, possibly only having it for the last few years at most. I want him to realize this issue before it consumes him, like it did me long ago.

* * *

 _ **Day 9 - Challenge Day**_

* * *

The morning sun began to rise in the distance, as the Pidgey began to chirp in harmony. As this happened, one of the birds flew down upon hearing a certain kind of whistling, landing on Quagsire's arm, as he smiled at the bird, "Morning birdies."

As the Pidgey began to chirp excitedly on the water fish, his smile grew warmer, as he walked inside the mess hall, hoping for an early breakfast. Inside the building, Furret was sitting at her team's table, writing down something in her notepad. She stopped, and glanced at the wall where the contestants' portraits were. This time, Xatu's was resting beside Granbull over 25th place. Her real name was also revealed; Xanthippe Bob.

As she stared at the portrait, she didn't even notice the water fish walk up to her, before he screamed loudly into her ear, "Morning, Furret!"

Furret screamed and fell backward, landing on the floor. She groaned and gripped her ears. As this happened, Quagsire blinked, before saying, "Oh, sorry about that."

Furret quickly sat up, picked up her notepad and pen, and then returned to her seat. She shot him an annoyed look, "Don't spook me like that. I don't like it when people shouted into my ears."

Quagsire seemed oblivious to his volume though, as he grinned, "Okay! I'll try to control my mouth better."

Furret nodded and rubbed her head, "Appreciate it."

Smiling at her, the water fish whistled to the Pidgey on his arm, signaling it to fly away. As it flew out of the mess hall, he approached the lunch line, as he smiled at Mesprit, "Good morning."

Mesprit looked up from the lines of food and smiled at the goofball, "Good morning, Quagsire. Did you have a nice night?"

He quickly nodded, "Yeah, they had a nice couch. It was comfortable considering nobody wanted to room with me."

Mesprit blinked, "Really? I thought the team likes you now."

He shrugged with the same oblivious grin, "I like to think everyone likes me. They just said they were worried I'd bring animals inside is all...I think."

Mesprit stared at him before she chuckled, "Were you considering bringing them?"

The water fish shrugged, "They're just so cute and fluffy."

"I'm sure they are," Mesprit said, smiling, "So what do you want for breakfast?"

Quagsire tapped his chin for a moment, seemingly in deep thought...Until he just continued to grin, "I'll take whatever's easiest for you to make. I'm not picky."

Mesprit chuckled. She placed eggs, sausages, toasts, and Oran Berries onto his plate and then gave it to him, "Enjoy!"

He happily took the food, before saluting the legendary, "Yes ma'am."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** (She rubbed her ears, looking concern) I hope Quagsire didn't just damaged my hearing. That would be a problem, and I have already got several problems with myself I need to deal with. (She lowered her paw) I still like him, regardless. In fact, so far, I may consider him my best friend along with Chandelure. I just want Quagsire to give me some personal space. I don't like it whenever people invade it without permission.

 **Mesprit:** (She smiled at the camera) Ah, bless Quagsire. Always see a bright side in everything. We need more people like him in this planet. Although, I'm not sure everyone would appreciate having him bringing wild Pokemon into their homes. Azelf would've thought it'd be funny.

 **Quagsire:** (He was now covered from head to toe in Pidgey, as he smiled at the camera) The birdies seem oddly attracted to me. (They began to peck at him, seemingly trying to get inside his head, as he looked on oblivious to the pain) Maybe it's because I have a nice whistle?

* * *

 **Mess Hall**

Several Pokemon were enjoying their breakfast, one of which was a certain zebra, who was feasting on a large plate full of eggs, with a cup of orange juice next to him, and a select couple pieces of bacon as a treat. Zebstrika was enjoying his breakfast until he noticed Purugly was sitting beside him, batting her eyelashes at him.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Purugly:** Here's the thing, I'm _very_ sexually active. I have sex at least once per week. (She frowned) So spending my first week here without sex was annoying. Maturbation wouldn't be enough to ease me. I've tried to advance on every guy here, but every answer I received was either that they're married, or people saying I disgusted them. (She smirked) However, if you're under sexual tension, you might change your mind.

* * *

The zebra blinked at the cat's random appearance, before shrugging, as he continued to eat his eggs.

"So, Zebstrika, you're eating eggs to build up your muscles?" Purugly asked, smirking.

He turned his head to her, before smiling, "Actually, they're just a stress food for me. My team has been going through some personal issues, so I've kinda been freaking out occasionally."

Purugly's smirk became wider, and laid her paw on Zebstrika's lower body, where his legs would be, "Perhaps, I could help you remove your stress?"

He blinked, "What, with a workout or something, because I already ran laps around the island earlier."

Purugly shook her head and slide her paw closer onto Zebstrika's belly, and leaned her head into his ears, "No, I'm talking about doing a workout in _bed_ ," she whispered.

"...I don't get it, what can you possibly use to workout in bed?"

Purugly's face dropped and slapped her paw to her forehead. She whispered into Zebstrika's ear, "I'm talking about if you wanna have sex with me!"

Zebstrika blinked, before putting up an arm, "Sorry, I don't swing that way. No offense and all."

Purugly pulled her head and blinked, before shrugging and smiled, "That's cool. Thanks for letting me know," She noticed most of the Awesome Azelf were staring at her, deadpanned. She raised a brow at them, "What?"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Octillery:** (She shuddered) Ugh! That was totally _disgusting_! Did she had to do that while we're eating?! (She folded her tentacles in a huff) I think I'll prefer starvation, lady!

 **Sableye:** (She looked surprised)Zebstrika's not straight? (She shrugged and smiled) Hmm, good to know Komala and I aren't the only type here.

 **Zebstrika:** (He blinked, before shrugging) I don't get why everyone looked so disgusted honestly.

 **Purugly:** Not the response I was hoping for, but I'm not gonna judge him or anything. If anything, I'd say Zebstrika's hotter now. (She grinned)

* * *

 **Forest**

Using her leaves, Wormadam swung herself from tree to tree. She landed on a branch and snapped her head in all direction, "The idols can't hide themselves forever. Sooner or later, they'll have to be found. And it'll be by me!" She puffed out her body before looking around her surroundings, "Now, if I'm an idol, I'd hidden myself in a place that it'd be almost impossible to find. So where is that impossible hiding spot?"

Seeing there weren't anything that caught her eyes, she resumed her swinging from one tree to the next. A couple of minutes later, she stopped and landed on a lower branch, peering at something on the ground. It was a pair of rock sticking out of the ground. Nothing strange about that. What caught her eyes, however, was that the rocks looked almost identical.

She landed onto the ground and hopped over to the rocks. She narrowed her eyes at each rock and then hopped around it. Once she made a complete circle, her eyes widened behind her sunglasses. Just as she suspected, the rocks looked _exactly_ the same. Both rocks were chiseled to the same shape and dent. Feeling, she may be onto something, she hopped on top of the rock, feeling it her leaves for anything different. Finding nothing, she hopped onto the next rock and did the same.

Just when she was hitting the dead end, she looked down between the rocks. She raised a brow and hopped down. She peered at the ground and her eyes became rounded. She could've sworn she saw a tiny arrow sticking out of the ground.

No time to waste, Wormadam dug her leaves into the ground and tear away the dirt. The more she removed the dirt around an unknown object, the more excited she had become. Several minutes later, feeling the object was becoming loose, she gripped it and tugged it. Sweats trickled down her face as she kept pulling the object. Soon, it came out and sent Wormadam flying back several feet.

Shaking away the daze, she looked at the object in her leaves. It was a small wooden sculpture. On top of the podium were two different colored arrows pointing in opposite direction. One was light brown, while the other was darker brown. She turned the sculpture over and gasped happily.

" _Congratulations! You've found a Swap Idol! When you play this, you can swap your number of votes with the person of your choice. Be warned. Using it wrong, and you could find yourself going home."_

Wormadam let out a cheer and hopped around, holding up an idol. She was now the second person to find one.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Wormadam:** (She smiled smugly) Ladies and gentlemen of the Eterna City's taskforce, you all doubted me that I could stand chances of surviving the first elimination. (She held up a Swap Idol to the camera) See this baby? That is one of twelve idols hidden around the island, and I've found one. This baby is gonna come in handy when the time has come. I'm still going strong.

* * *

As the bug continued to celebrate though, she heard a sound from behind her, "What are you...Doing out here?"

Wormadam froze her celebration hopping and hid the idol behind the rock without thinking. She snapped her head behind her, seeing Hydreigon before her, "I should ask you the same question."

The dragon sighed, "Drifblim suggest that...I should find ways...To relax. The woods seemed like...A good place...To do so."

Wormadam turned around, raising a brow at her, "Did it help?"

The usually quiet girl slowly shook her head, "No...I'm just scared now…I apparently don't...Like the woods very...Much at all."

Wormadam's eyes softened, "Then why not fly out of the woods?"

"I can barely...Fly close to the...Ground as is. If I fly too high...I'm worried I'd lose...Concentration, and plummet...Down to the ground...And die slowly."

Wormadam hopped closer, "I understand you're worried. But if you don't try to improve yourself, how can you learn to defend yourself?" She spoke in a softer tone.

Hydreigon sighed, "I don't want to...Defend myself...I just want to feel...Normal."

Wormadam couldn't help but feel pity for the three headed dragon. That girl had three minds, therefore making it hard for her to concentrate on anything. She didn't know if it was a normal thing for a Hydreigon to go through, but clearly, this one was having it rough. She knew how it felt though, to be defenseless and out of place. She may have become a cop, but even now, she still felt like an outcast because of her species and her vision impairment.

She took a quick glance behind where her idol was hidden. She looked back at Hydreigon, "Do you want me to come with you back to camp?"

The dragon looked up slightly, before softly smiling, "...I'd like that."

Wormadam hopped forward, "C'mon. I know the way back."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Wormadam:** (She held the Swap Idol in her arms) I went back for this as soon as I left Hydriegon alone by the camp. I was damn lucky nobody had found it by then. I've gotta be careful hiding it from now on. Can't have somebody like Sableye catch me and give others a reason to send me home. (Her eyes softened behind her sunglasses) Still, I felt nothing but pity for Hydriegon. That girl probably struggled a lot back home. I know that feeling… (She faced the camera with determination) I think I should help her overcoming her main issue.

 **Hydreigon:** (She smiled at the camera) Wormadam's a nice lady...I can see why...She's a cop...Protecting those who need...It and everything.

* * *

 **Campground**

Just finished her breakfast, Leavanny walked out of the Mess Hall, knowing the hosts would be announcing the next challenge soon. She was making her way to the beach, when she paused, seeing Infernape walking past her, holding an empty plate. The fire monkey also stopped and looked back at her. They exchanged glances for two seconds before Leavanny turned her head away to continue her walk towards the beach, but at a quicker pace this time.

Infernape frowned a little, but took a deep breath, and walked towards the Mess Hall.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Infernape:** (He lit up a cigar with his little and then puffed it, filling the room with smoke) I can't blame her for being wary of me. I almost got her killed during the last challenge. So I've been spending some time alone to clear my head, and to give others their space. Just gotta make sure my...condition, doesn't lapse again. (He sighed and rubbed his head) I can't believe I let it happen to myself. I thought I was over it. (He puffed on his cigar) Apparently not. I should've gone home, but Xatu got herself voted out instead. If you're watching this, just know that I'm making the most of my time here. I'm still in it to win it. But if it happens again, I'm going. No matter what. I have had enough deaths in my life.

* * *

Leavanny sat on the beach and took a quick glance at Infernape, who stepped into the Mess Hall. She turned away and sighed. She tried to calm herself by staring at into the ocean, but no matter what happened, her mind kept drifting back to the armory in the previous challenge. It was understandable why Infernape acted the way he was. He fought in a war, and in wars, guns were involved. Guns he may have used in the past. Obviously, he has seen people died, and probably killed some himself. That would've traumatised any man.

But...His reaction was different. It wasn't a usual case of psychological trauma. Instead, it was something much darker. He unleashed Flamethrower at Sableye and Komala just because they couldn't help themselves falling from the ceiling. He was in a haze. It was like he couldn't understand a word Sableye said to him. She heard it, and was rather appalled by her foul mouth. He could burn the whole mansion down, and still be in a haze. That was when she connected the dots with Infernape's mental state.

The teacher felt a chill running down her spine. It was moments like these that she wished she didn't have high IQ. Sometimes, the truth would be hard to face.

She let out a sigh, "Of all the times to eliminate yourself, Xatu, you chose to do it now?" She muttered.

"You okay there?"

Leavanny snapped out of her thought and looked up, seeing Yanmega hovering above her, giving her a concerned look. Leavanny frowned and faced the beach again, "If you're here to persuade me to shift myself onto yours and Infernape's side, then save your breath. I've made up my mind."

Yanmega frowned, not happy being denied by another teammate, but dropped it almost right way and hovered beside Leavanny, "I'm not here about that. I'm just checking how you're feeling. Ya know, because of what happened in the last challenge," His eyes softened.

Leavanny glanced at Yanmega before facing the ocean once more, "My desire to eliminate your friend from the game is embedded in my mind."

"You know he didn't mean to do that. It was an accident-"

Leavanny snapped her head at Yanmega, "It _wasn't_ an accident! I saw him myself, Yanmega. He would've _killed_ usif his mind had snapped for just a little longer."

"Infernape would never do that," Yanmega said, frowning, "He was a soldier. His job was to protect others-"

"You've only known him for a week," Leavanny said, glaring at him, "You could be married to him for your whole life, and still wouldn't know a _thing_ about him."

The pair remained silent, exchanging glares before Leavanny faced the ocean again, "Back home, I studied psychology so I can understand my students' behavior. See if I can display empathy more. I became fascinated by all kinds of mental behavior in our minds, so I've looked up on everything. From ADHD to PTSD. I thought Infernape had suffered from PTSD since he fought in a war. He had showed it every now and then, but what happened in the armory…"

Yanmega looked concerned, seeing fear in Leavanny's widened eyes.

"It was worse. I realized he suffered from a prolonged effect of Adaptational Personality Disorder. It's rare, but It worsened any disorder he would have. You can only get it if you committed _murders_."

"Infernape is a war veteran, of course he killed somebody," Yanmega said.

Leavanny looked back the dragonfly Pokemon, "I'm referring to murders _outside_ of conflict."

Yanmega opened his mouth to argue for his friend's sake, but then closed it. The pair remained silent. Some loud feedback was heard throughout the island, "Hi, ladies and gentlemen! Mesprit is here! Please make your way to the area where the natives used to live. If you don't know where that is, it's on the other side of the island from the campground. See you there." The intercom turned off.

The pair exchanged glances, and Leavanny stood up, "At the next elimination, please let Infernape go home, not for everyone's sakes, but for Infernape's as well."

She started walking to the challenge's location. Yanmega stared at her, thinking about what she just said to him. He looked up at the the sky, before heading towards the challenge. Infernape wouldn't have killed someone...Would he?

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Yanmega:** (He looked unsure) Outside of conflict? I've heard some veterans became messed up after coming back from a war, but Infernape can't be one of them. He has a family and friends to support him. Surely, the dude didn't become a psycho killer. (He stared at the camera, looking unease) Or…Did he?

 **Leavanny:** Did I forgot to mention that smoking can worsen your mental disorder? With the amount of smoking Infernape does, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts losing his mind, if he hasn't already.

* * *

 **Ancient Village**

"Whoa…" Furret said, eyes widened in wonder.

The area she and the contestants had arrived in was a large tribal village from ancient times. There were tents made of out of straws, woods and stones. Half of it was destroyed, though. Same case for stone walls encircling the village. Some area were overgrown due to lack of proper care. The contestants were standing by the entrance, facing the hosts.

"I've been here before," Ninjask said, smiling, "It's pretty cool learning what kind of life our ancestors were living in the past."

Araquanid's eyes widened, "Wait...You're into that kinda thing too?"

Ninjask looked at him and nodded, "Yeah! My family embraced history and cultures. It's to make sure to keep it alive to this day."

The spider blinked, before beginning to smile, "That's so cool! My family believes in the same thing!"

"Really? That's awesome, dude!"

"You girls can continue your chit-chat after we've finished explaining the challenge," Azelf said before showing a smile, "And today's challenge I'd like to call - Detrimental Doomsday!"

Meowstic's eyes widened at the word, doomsday.

"You heard my brother right, guys," Mesprit said, smiling, "Your challenge is to hide out in this village and then... Survive the apocalypse!"

Meowstic's eyes widened further at the word, apocalypse.

"What kind of apocalypse are you referring to?" Espeon asked, looking wary.

"Everything," Uxie said, smirking sadistically, "Flood, wildfires, we've got it all. And all of you have to do is to survive it until the end of the challenge," He gestured to the stone walls, "If you'd step outside the village for even a second, you'll be branded as eliminated. The team with the most members still standing or the last person standing for their team wins immunity and gets to spend several nights in the Golden Inn."

"Any questions?" Mesprit asked.

Leavanny's hand risen immediately, "I'm just concerned about the disasters you're about to unleash on us. We won't be harmed, will we?"

"The worse thing you can get in this challenge are bruises," Mesprit said, "If things become worse, we'll hold back on our apocalypse."

Leavanny lowered her hand, seeming satisfied with the answer. Meowstic raised a hand, "Are there going to be zombies involved?"

The hosts exchanged glances before looking back at the zombie fanatic.

"They're not real zombies," Uxie said, "But please refrain yourself from putting our interns to the hospital. We don't want lawyers breathing down our necks."

Meowstic nodded, "Of course."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** (He let out a cheer, pumping his fists in the air, laughing. When he calmed down a bit, he grinned at the camera) _Apocalypse_ challenge? This is _made_ for me!

* * *

"Are we allowed to remove contestants from the village?" Furret asked, raising her paw.

"All that matters is that the challenge will continue on until either you survives our apocalypses, or be the last one standing for your team," Azelf said, "Be the first team to lose everyone will face elimination tomorrow."

Furret nodded in understanding.

"Did people died here?" Jellicent asked, her eyes vacated.

Standing beside the ghost, Purugly and Sableye took a step backward from her.

"The only thing I can say to that is they all died in the end," Azelf said, feeling off-put by her question.

Jellicent stared at them, not blinking, "Did you kill them?"

"Can we get on with this challenge?" Uxie asked, uncomfortable by Jellicent's presence more every second, "I've been looking forward for this one for ages."

"So you do my like challenges after all!" Azelf said, smirking at him.

The yellow-headed brother only gave him a look, "No, they're a pathetic waste of time and energy and it disgusts me you'd even imply I'd enjoy them. No, I just like seeing the contestants in agony."

Mesprit rolled her eyes albeit smirking, "Of course you do."

"Bitch, I will-"

Quagsire's voice interrupted at a surprising volume, "Don't call her that!"

Uxie gave the water fish a look, "...Whatever. Just start the stupid challenge already."

Mesprit flashed Quagsire a quick smile, before raising her arm, "Ready, guys?"

The contestants nodded, while Meowstic gripped his arms, refraining himself from trembling in excitement.

"Go!" Mesprit said, swinging her arm down.

The contestants were either running or walking into the village. As soon as everyone stepped inside, the large wooden gates slammed shut, making more timid contestants, like Hydreigon jump in fear. The dragon in question then fell to the ground with a thud, as she just laid there, seemingly incapable of getting up. After only a moment, Drifblim had already rushed over to her and began to carry her with him.

Ninjask floated over to Araquanid, "So your family is into the same thing? What's kind of history you're interested in?"

The spider blinked, before laughing a little, "Believe it or not, while I may not look the part, I'm actually Korean. So my family usually tries to keep our traditions alive through...Well, more modern means sadly, but I usually try to stick to more classical ways of handling our cultural history."

Ninjask nodded, smiling, "It's the same with me! Except my family is more interested in keeping the older stuff around because otherwise, modern could make it disappear."

Araquanid smiled, "That's what I always try to tell my parents, but," he looked down, "They don't really listen to me."

"Bummer, man," Ninjask said before brightening up once more, "Maybe you should try to get their attention and make them listen?"

"I literally ran off to see the carnival for a few days and never told them where I went," he began to deadpan, "When I showed up after that long, they hadn't even noticed I was gone."

Ninjask blinked, "Damn. Talk about neglect issues right here."

He shrugged, "Eh, I'm used to it," he tried to force a smile, "But what about you? What's your family like?"

"My mother's family is all ninjas from the Johto and Hoenn region. But my dad was into it too! So he became one as well. I'm a ninja also, but...Not doing so hot right now," He looked down before smiling again, "But doesn't mean I should give up! I just gotta keep thriving!"

The spider let out a sigh, "Man, wish I had that outlook. Whenever I fail, I always just look down on myself and give up."

"It doesn't have to be that way. My grandpa always said that every failure is a step closer to success."

Araquanid glanced up, "I've literally destroyed my social reputation to a point of where back home, girls would talk to me just so they can belittle me...My life is literally a joke."

Ninjask stared at him in shock, "Wow...I feel pity for you, dude."

"Eh, better than nothing."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Ninjask:** I've never seen anyone my age to be that much of the downer. Even goths at my high school was brighter than him. I always look on the bright side no matter how much crap I've been put through. Maybe if I stick around with him, I could rub off my positive attitude on him, and make him feel better. (He smiled) Yeah! I should totally do that!

 **Araquanid:** (He sighs) Well, bet I screwed that potential friendship up by making things awkward.

* * *

"Okay, so how should we approach this challenge?" Infernape asked his teammates.

"All we've gotta do is be the last one standing," Octillery said, "Meaning, I don't have to stick by you guys for this," She left the group, "Later."

Yanmega opened his mouth to stop Octillery, but close it. He looked at his teammates, "She kinda have a point. There's no need for all of us to stick together, right?"

Drifblim gave him a look, "I actually strongly recommend we stick together. Strength in numbers is best for most situations."

"While I can agree with that, what if we all get caught up in a disaster like a tornado, and it took us all out at once?" Leavanny asked, "Most of us were eliminated together in the previous challenge."

"I'd doubt our hosts would let that happen right away," Infernape said, looking at Leavanny, who looked away.

"Then maybe we could split up into pairs?" Zebstrika said, "That's way we can split up, but won't be alone, right?"

Yanmega nodded, "I can work with that."

"Yanmega and I can stick together," Infernape said, "One on the ground, while one in the sky."

Hydreigon mumbled something to herself, as Drifblim said, "I'll stay with Hydreigon. I can't let her get hurt during this challenge."

"With Araquanid and Octillery not with us, that would make them a pair," Leavanny said, "So I shall stick with Zebstrika."

The zebra saluted her, "I'll just leave you in charge of us, since you know, you kinda seem smarter than me."

Leavanny nodded at him, "Appreciate it."

"Wish you guys good luck," Yanmega nodded at them before he launched himself to the sky. Infernape walked away.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Yanmega:** I'm trying to chill out more so I wouldn't risk alienating Infernape and I from the others further. Both of us are still here because Xatu volunteered to leave. We ain't getting another chance like this. Hopefully, we won't have to worry about that once our team is safe from elimination. (He sighed) But damn it, where the hell are the idols?

 **Komala:** (She snored as she cuddled against a wooden idol. However, it wasn't the one she found in the forest. It was a different idol. It shaped like a silver person standing on top of the podium, hands on its hips)

* * *

Meowstic looked around the village, his calm eyes beaming with joy. He paused, seeing his teammates staring at him, "What?"

"You're an apocalypse fan," Ursaring said, "What are we supposed to do in this challenge?"

"That's really depending on the disaster the hosts would unleash on us," Meowstic said, pacing back and forth, "The most common disasters are flood, earthquake, volcano, tornado, avalanche, lightning storm, and _zombies_."

"Zombie isn't a disaster movie, Shaun of the Dead," Raichu said, deadpanned.

"Technically, it is because disasters usually cause the end of the world. Same case for zombies," Meowstic stopped pacing, facing his teammates, looking excited, "If we come across them, go for the brain. _Always_ the brain. It's the only place where you can guarantee a kill."

"Didn't you listen to what the hosts said?" Wormadam said, raising a brow at him in suspicion, "No killing. Or at least, no critical injuries."

"I heard every word, but that doesn't mean we should let our guards down when they'd arrive. At the very least, just make sure to avoid being bitten and scratched. You might get eliminated that way."

"Meowstic, I am concerned by the sound of the excitement in your voice," Espeon said, looking concerned, "An apocalypse isn't something you should take lightly, less so fictional ones like zombies."

"Are you kidding me?" A grin spread on Meowstic's face, and turned around to face the village, extending his arms, "This is the best challenge the hosts could've offered to me! I'm going to make the most of this!" He looked back at his teammates again, "I wanna get into some places before it starts. So here's the best advice for surviving each disaster," He started talking in faster pace, "For a flood; get to the tallest building, and make sure it's stable. For a volcano; run away as fast as you can. If you can find a place to get out of the lava or magma, take it! For a tornado, find something strong and tie yourself to it in order to prevent yourself from flying around inside the tornado. For a lightning storm, keep an eye on the storm so you can try to predict its next move. For an earthquake, get under a strong table or a doorway to avoid debris falling on you. And for an avalanche, stick with a flying person because they can help you avoid it."

Finally finished explaining, Meowstic took a deep breath and looked at his teammates, who remained silent, looking completely baffled.

Furret raised her paw, "Can you please repeat that again?"

Meowstic sighed and shook his head, "There's no time! The challenge is going to start any minute! And since only one of us is needed to win this challenge, I'm heading off alone. But…Mostly so I can find myself a flying ally to help me avoid the avalanche and, lava and or magma."

He ran off, most likely to find the best place to survive any disaster. His teammates exchanged glances.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** I have watched disaster movies before, but I've never experienced one. I can't tell if I'm going to be excited about it or not.

 **Vanilluxe:** Despite Meowstic running off alone, the rest of us thought it'd be better if we stick together as small teams of two or three so we wouldn't be alone. (He showed a smile) This challenge seemed to be the best time to spend with my lovely wife.

 **Espeon:** (She frowned at the camera) I never understand why anyone would enjoy apocalypse movies. It happens whenever Arceus unleashes His wrath on this world and punishes those who inhabit it. (She shook her head) My experience in this village will be nothing but unpleasant.

* * *

"Okay, we need to have a teammate by our side at all time," Turtonator said to her teammates, "There's no telling what kind of trouble we'll be facing."

"Jellicent and I should remain in the air," Chandelure said, "It should give us an advantage of avoiding disasters below."

Turtonator nodded, "That would be wise. I would like one of you to look after her," She gestured to the sleeping Komala in her arms.

Jellicent extended her large fins, "I'll take her," she said in monotone.

Sableye opened her mouth to object but closed it, watching Turtonator passing Komala over to Jellicent. She frowned at the mother, who looked at her and returned a frown.

"Sableye and I will stick together, no questions asked," Turtonator said, never taking her eyes off of Sableye, who growled at her.

"Hey, you can't bound me down!" She pointed a finger at her.

"Well, tough. I've made my decision," Turtonator said, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Fine, _Mom_!" Sableye said before a grin appeared on her face, "See if you can catch me first!"

Sableye ran off just as Turtonator extended her arms towards her. She watched Sableye ran off, cackling like a maniac.

"Sableye!" She shouted before snapping her head at Purugly and Quagsire, "You two stick together. Got it?"

"Sure," Purugly shrugged.

The water fish saluted the mother, "I shall follow the friendly cat with no hat."

Turtonator ran off, as determined to catch her teammate as she usually was with her children.

Chandelure looked at the rest of his teammates, "Whatever happens, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all the best of luck today," He nodded at them.

As the chandelier floated off, Quagsire smiled at seemingly nothing as he glanced around, "Hey, where's the friendly ninja?"

Purugly looked up at the dark cloud above her, "Probably got struck by lightning."

She saw the clouds flashed for a second and then saw something thin coming down. The next thing she knew, the ground exploded nearby, sending the pair flying back. Purugly crashed on her side and groaned. She rubbed her head and looked back, seeing smoke coming out of a huge gaping hole where the pair was standing a moment ago.

The water fish let out a laugh, before turning to Purugly, "We should find a pond to wait in while this passes by. Lightning doesn't affect water, right?"

Purugly snapped her head at the goofball, "Lightning does affect water, you idiot! Water type is weak against Electric!" She said before getting onto her feet and ran off.

Quagsire blinked, before he ran after the cat, "I'm sorry, I didn't pay attention to when they teached type weaknesses in school!"

As he began to leave though, the water fish heard screaming, before a certain chandelier crashed onto the ground in pain. He blinked and looked back at the dark clouds, "Bloody hell, how did they make a real thunderstorm happen?"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Azelf:** (He held up a complicated controller) This little guy can control any kind of disaster we can pull off. Whether it'd be a thunderstorm or an earthquake. We chose the village because that's where we designed the disaster area. (He winked) Expect to see that place again from time to time. (He chuckled)

* * *

Chandelure snapped his head back and forth. None of his teammates were anywhere to be found, and he mustn't be outside any longer. He looked at the large wooden hut nearby and floated towards it. He let out a yelp, avoiding a lightning bolt striking the ground nearby. He floated inside and looked around the place. For a one story building, it seemed to have one door on each side, leading to more rooms. The walls were made of woods and straws. Judging by wooden tables and chairs, along with a fire pit nearby, he appeared to be in the living room.

"It's hard to tell whether if this a genuine hut from the past," Chandelure said, couldn't help but feeling a small wonder, "If so, I'm quite impressed this place has held up for so long."

He saw two gaping holes on the wall, which allowed him to look outside. He could see Yanmega was flying in the sky, avoiding every lightning strike near him. He disappeared behind a row of straw huts, but Chandelure didn't hear any scream, implying he didn't crash into the ground like he did.

"Yanmega has definitely proven himself as a quality pilot," Chandelure said, "I would've been impressed if I wasn't annoyed at being caught off guard."

"Chandelure?" A disembodied voice was heard behind him.

Chandelure quickly turned around, seeing Furret standing by the door on the left. "Furret, what are you doing here?"

"Hiding from lightning, and to having a look around this building," Furret said, walking over to him, "I always do that whenever I'm in a new place."

"So you've never been to this area?" Chandelure asked.

"No. I didn't want to risk getting lost on this island. That, and I don't want to risk being in trouble if I end up in a place where I shouldn't be."

"I'm sure you would've been notified if that's the case," Chandelure said, smiling at her.

Furret shrugged and looked out the window, "Maybe."

The pair remained silent, watching the spectacle occurring outside. They saw Turtonator still chasing Sableye around, but Turtonator screeched to a halt, barely avoiding the lightning strike hitting the ground in front of her. She looked up, seeing that Sableye had disappeared from her sight. She groaned and continued running, but kept glancing at the sky. When she had disappeared from their sight, Chandelure looked at Furret, who removed her paws from her ears due to her dislike of loud noise.

"You know, it's been awhile since we've had a proper chat," Chandelure said.

Furret turned her head at him and nodded, "Well, I usually like to be on my own, and I'm trying to get along with my teammates on Mysterious Mesprit."

"Found any friends yet?"

"Just on my team, or everyone in general?"

"Your team."

"Just Vanilluxe and Ursaring so far. Vanilluxe is really nice, and Ursaring calmed me down during our second challenge."

Chandelure raised a brow at her, "What do you mean?"

"Well, at the time, I was anxious about Granbull. But Ursaring suggested we'd do some sand sculpting. After that, we talked a bit and got to know each other. Did you know he used to be in a band?"

"No. That hadn't come to my mind," Chandelure said, interested.

"He quit because he wanted to pursue a solo career, but unfortunately for him, it didn't work out. So now, he's been traveling across the country."

Chandelure nodded and smiled, "It's seems to me you're doing a fine job socializing with others."

Furret smiled, "Thanks. It's good to know I'm getting better at it."

"What about the rest of your team?" Chandelure asked, wanting to gather more details on other contestants.

"Wormadam and Espeon seem okay, and since they were my roommates for several nights, we learned to get along well. Not sure about Meowstic, since the only time I've really see him is during the challenges. As for Bastiodon and Raichu, they seem kinda mean. And I don't prefer hanging out with mean people."

Chandelure nodded, reminding himself to write all of it down later, "I see. What about everyone else in this competition?"

"The only one I'm fine talking to right now are you and Quagsire," Furret said, smiling, "I connected with you guys more than I have with everyone else."

Chandelure smiled at the thought of someone considering him as their closest friend. He would've been touched by it if weren't for one other detail. He stopped smiling, "Any reason on why you consider Quagsire a friend? Kind of an odd choice."

"He's a funny guy. I don't laugh often, so a kind person who makes me laugh is someone I'd want to be friends with. I wish I had friends like him back home."

Furret looked back out the window, oblivious to Chandelure's small frown. He looked out the window too. A tiny part of him now wished Quagsire would be responsible for sending his team to their first elimination.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** You know, I'm glad Chandelure is with me in during this challenge. Lightning strikes can be loud, and I don't like loud noises very much. I don't want to be deaf so soon. Plus, it feels like it makes my brain rattle. Does that makes sense to you? (Looks at the camera in confusion)

 **Chandelure:** Furret's information on her team is proving to be useful. It lets me know where I stand with them. Perhaps forming an alliance with her now might be a good idea. People might see us as friends, so they wouldn't get suspicious of us engaging in conversation in public. There's nothing wrong with making friends on other teams. And there are several people here that I would prefer over some of my team members. (He frowned at the camera)

* * *

Araquanid cringed, watching Ninjask get electrocuted for the numerous times and then fell to the ground, smoke coming out of his body. After a moment, the spider said, "I really think we should find a place to hide so we don't die on national TV."

Ninjask shook his head and floated up albeit slowly this time, "Nonsense! My grandpa told me if I can survive a lightning strike twenty times, then I'll be able to take on anything!" He grinned, buffing out his body and then screamed, feeling the lightning bolt making contact with him. He fell to the ground once more, groaning in pain, "That's...Nu-number nine…"

After a moment, Araquanid picked up the ninja, before placing him on his back, "No offense to your grandpa, but I sorta think that's a death sentence. Let's get you inside, bud."

Ninjask opened his mouth to object, but slumped his head on Araquanid's back and groaned. Araquanid snapped his head in every direction and then stopped, seeing Octillery screaming her head off and flailing her tentacles as she avoided lightning bolts nearby.

"Fuck you, storm!" Octillery shouted, eyes widened, "Go destroy a school or politics, or, or something!"

Araquanid's eyes bugged, as he called out to her before running towards her, "Octillery, over here!"

Octillery snapped her head at Araquanid and squirmed over to him, "We need to get outta of this hell fast!"

He quickly nodded, glancing in every direction, before pointing towards a two-story hut, "Over there! Come on, let's get out of this storm from hell."

"I'm going first!" Octillery shouted, pushed past Araquanid and headed towards the hut, "I'm totally more vulnerable here than anyone else!"

As she said this, she slowly realized how slow she was running, as she noticed most of her tentacles were coming to a crawl. As this happened, the spider next to her rose a brow, "You need some help there?"

One lightning bolt creating a hole in the ground closeby was all the motivation she needed to climb onto Araquanid's back, holding up Ninjask, "Go, go, go!"

The spider quickly nodded, before rushing towards the hut, making it inside just in time, before a large flurry of lightning began to light up the entire village, as he began to gasp for breath.

Octillery slide off of him and let out a huge sigh of relief while dropping Ninjask on the floor, "Man, that was, like, too close!"

Araquanid began to breath in and out multiple times, as he relaxed his body, "Y-Yeah...God damn, I need to work out more."

"Yeah, you should. But you still managed to carry me and...Who's that guy again?" Octillery asked, glancing at Ninjask on the floor.

Ninjask lifted his head, "N-Ninjask..." He slumped his head back onto the floor.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," She nodded, "You're that ninja who gets hurt, like, all the time."

Araquanid was now leaning against the wall for support, "Actually, I've noticed that too. You have worse luck than me it seems."

Using all of his energy, Ninjask turned his body around, allowing him to lie on his back. He glanced at Araquanid and Octillery, "Yeah...It happens a lot. Not sure why, but it happens."

"Did you told the same thing to your doctors?" Octillery asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Ninjask said, pushing himself to his sit up position.

"So you can't, like, die?" Octillery asked, raising a brow at him.

"Everybody dies, even the Legendaries, or so I've heard," Ninjask said, rubbing his head. He looked around the place, "Where are we?"

Araquanid and Octillery looked around the building they were in. It was like the hut Chandelure and Furret were in, but there were stairs leading up to the second floor.

"Man, this place is a total dump," Octillery curled her lips in disgust, "So glad I lives in the twenty first century."

"Actually, I always wondering what it would be like living in the past," Ninjask said, eyes beaming, "So many cultures could have come to life here."

"And have no cellphone? No internet?" Octillery scoffed, "I think I'll go outside and die, thank you."

Araquanid rose a brow, "Wait, don't we usually have no internet here anyways?"

Octillery narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't remind me. It's hard enough as it is!"

The spider flinched at this, "Sorry, sorry, I'll shut up."

"Well, put it this way, err…Who are you?" Ninjask asked Octillery, who snapped her head at him.

"It's Octillery. Remember it," She pointed her tentacle.

Ninjask nodded, "Got it. Anyways, maybe you should consider this experience in another way. Spending a couple of months without internet or Netflix could give us a whole new perspective on our world," he said, smiling.

Octillery stared at him and then her eyes bugged out, looking like she was on the brink of panic, "It would totally show us how totally fucked we are without our technology!" She started squirming around the place, screaming her head off, flailing her tentacles, "I'm gonna lose it here!"

As she said this, Araquanid glanced between the two, before smiling slightly, whispering to himself, "So this is what it's like to have friends?"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Octillery:** (She inhaled and exhaled into the paper bag. She stopped, breathing heavily. She looked at the camera) Spending a week here had already been horrible! I've never, like, been this long without my precious internet! My cellphone! (She pointed at the camera and glared) Damn you, Mom and Dad! You spent all this time yapping at me to learn more! But which _morons_ decided to bring me here? There's nothing I could possibly learn from spending a couple of months on an island with a bunch of old strangers! How am I supposed to keep going without my social network? My Twitter feed with Jacob- (She breathed into the paper bag rapidly until she accidentally inhaled it into her mouth, causing her to choke and fall out of her seat)

 **Ninjask:** (He grimaced at the soaked paper bag in his hand) Ew! Who left this here? (He glanced at the camera) Her freak out aside, Octillery seems to be pretty cool. She and Araquanid seem to be friends, so it's nice to know the dude isn't alone here. (He smiled)

 **Araquanid:** (He sighed happily) It's nice knowing I've made connections to people during this game. Already an improvement to being back home.

* * *

Looking out a hole from a different two story building with concern, Espeon pulled her head back inside, pressing her front paws together, and started muttering in prayers, "Oh, Lord, please let me and most of my teammates get out of this challenge unharmed. They've done nothing to wrong you," She frowned, "There is one, on the other hand, you can unleash your wrath upon."

"You're not talking about me, right?" Bastiodon asked, sitting beside her, looking concerned.

Espeon shook her head, "Not at all. I was referring to Raichu."

"Wow! Love your honesty. Really, I do," A sarcastic disembodied voice was heard.

Bastiodon and Espeon frowned and turned, seeing Raichu walking inside the room, giving the pair a deadpan stare, "It's must've felt good getting that off your chest, didn't it?"

"What are you doing here, Raichu?" Espeon asked, glaring at him.

"Yeah, this is no place for a rat like you!" Bastiodon said, glaring at him. He turned his head away and gestured his front paw to indicate the electric mouse to go away, "So walk away and play with your thunder buddies."

"You do know I can use Thunderbolt in here, right?" Raichu asked, narrowing his eyes at them.

"If you dare committed an attack here, it would be an act of sabotage," Espeon said, standing up.

Raichu stared at her before looking at Bastiodon, "So you brainwashed her. Good on ya."

Bastiodon's eyes widened and placed his paw on himself, "Me? No, no. It was all Espeon's choice to decide to put on her aggressive nature."

"Saw you guys at the dock. Didn't hear anything but I now know for sure it was bad," Raichu said, slumping to the floor, still staring at him.

"What do you expect?" Espeon said, "You insulted Bastiodon and his family with forbidden words."

Raichu raised a brow at her, "Forbidden words?" His eyes widened, "Oh, you mean swear words like shit and fuck."

Espeon flinched and took a step forward, "Yes, those! And please refrain from speaking those horrid things."

"Why would I do that? Curse words are fun," Raichu showed a smirk, "You can let off steam that way."

"Curse words are never fun. They were just meaningless words that atheist followers conjured to insult our beloved Arceus!"

"Are you referring to the Arceus who produced this show? If so, you should know they don't like ass kissers."

Espeon scoffed in disgust, "How dare you!"

"Wake up, darling, the Arceus you think they are aren't that great. Why else would I be having a crappy life right now?"

"It's because of your verbal abuse to our Lord. You have everything coming and more!"

"While you're at it, maybe your Lord should do the same to Bastiodon?" Raichu gestured to the actor, "His family must've been messed up if his son became obnoxious."

Bastidon stood up and glared at him, "Hey-"

Espeon held up a paw, "Don't, Bastiodon. I'll handle this," She walked over to Raichu, who chuckled.

"So what's your Lord's next punishment for me? Raining Bibles?" He said as Espeon stood in front of him.

Espeon remained silent and closed her eyes. Raichu opened his mouth to speak when he found himself lifted off the ground. His eyes widened, "Hey, what are you-"

He found himself crashing through the straw and wooden wall, screaming as he was flying across the village.

Espeon watched him disappear from her sight and turned around, letting out a sigh. She walked back to Bastiodon, who gave her a grateful look.

"Thank you, Espeon," Bastiodon said, smiling, "I don't think I could really bring myself to lay a hand on that rotten mouse."

Espeon nodded at him, "You're welcome," She sat down, pressing her front paws together and began to resume her praying.

As Espeon muttered her prayers, Bastiodon had a malevolent grin creeping onto his face.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Espeon:** (She glared at the camera) Nobody insults our Lord and gets away with it.

 **Raichu:** (He looked annoyed, removing wooden and straw debris from him) This is why I don't do religion. They always have these nutjobs who keep telling us we're living our lives wrong. That's the kind of thing you'd get from terrorists! If I wanna get fucked up, I'll get fucked up!

 **Bastiodon:** (He laughed and then smirked at the camera) I didn't even have to do much to get Espeon on my side. If Raichu keeps up his _horrible_ attitude, I could take him out without even trying!

* * *

Using his superb ability of flight, Yanmega expertly maneuvered around the lightning bolts. He whirled his body to dodge two lightning bolts coming at him, causing it to hit each other instead and explode. He laughed as he dived towards the ground.

"You're gonna have to do better than that to take _me_ out of the sky!" He let out a cheer, reaching the ground, only to pull up and flew past several huts. Seeing Infernape entering one of the huts, his conversation with Leavanny at the beach resurfaced in his mind. Yanmega screeched to a halt in mid-air and turned around, heading towards the one story hut.

"Infernape!" He shouted, flying into the hut.

Infernape turned around, "What?"

"I've gotta talk to ya 'bout something," Yanmega said.

"Like what?" Infernape said, walking over to him.

Yanmega opened his mouth but then closed it. He wasn't sure if it a good idea to bring it up to his friend. The conversation was still fresh in his mind, but this topic wasn't something he could easily bring up.

Seeing the uneasiness on Yanmega's face, Infernape frowned, dreadful feeling appearing in his body, "What is it?"

The sharp tone in Infernape's voice had snapped Yanmega out of his thought, and looked at him, "I had a chat with Leavanny, and there are some stuff she told me about, like what happened in that mansion."

Infernape puffed on his cigar, exhaling smoke into the ceiling, "Like what?"

"She said you have prolonged effect of some kinda weird-ass disorder," Yanmega said, choosing his words carefully, "She said you can only get it if you-"

"Killed someone outside of conflict?" Infernape finished the sentence, never taking his eyes off of Yanmega, who looked surprised and stared at the ground.

"Yeah…" Despite being a confident man, Yanmega was finding it hard to make eye contact with Infernape.

"You want to know if I did, do you?" Infernape asked.

Yanmega stared at the ground, hearing occasional thunderbolts happening outside. He didn't know whether to give him an answer or not.

"I did."

Yanmega looked back at Infernape, now seeing him staring at the ground. Despite the room being dark, he could see the old monkey's shame as clear as day. He took one last puff before dumping his cigar on the floor and stomping it out. He lifted his head and looked back at his teammate.

"The only thing I can say is that it happened a long time ago, and I regret it."

Yanmega blinked, "Why are you telling me this? You could've easily lied about it."

"I was a soldier. I have killed before that moment had came. If I lied about that, I'd be lying to myself. And God knows, I've hidden myself away for a while," Infernape turned his head, looking out the window.

Yanmega stared at him, eyes widened. Wasn't expecting the answer he expected to hear, "Does anyone else know about what you've said to me?"

"Friends, family, doctors, therapists," Infernape glanced at the camera, "And I guess the whole world too."

Yanmega glanced at the camera as well. He looked back at Infernape, "Wow, man...This is a really huge thing to say. Do you know what it could mean to you now?"

"It's possible I'll get arrested," Infernape said, turning around to face Yanmega, "But if that happens, I'll go with my head held high."

"W-What about your family?"

"My daughter is in college, and my son is going to have his second child coming up," Infernape let out a sigh, "They'll be okay."

"And your wife?" Yanmega asked, his mind went back to his fiance, Vespiquen, and her son, Combee.

Infernape let out a weak chuckle, "Still married, but we've been taking some time off. Trying to give both of us some space to clear our heads."

"Did that work?"

Infernape shrugged, "We'll leave it to the future to decide our fates."

Yanmega opened his mouth to speak more, only to hear an ear shattering crash above him. Before he could lift his head, the lightning bolt struck him, engulfing. He yelled in pain.

Infernape eyes widened, "Yanmega!" He shouted, running towards him, but the lightning bolt exploded, throwing him backward. He shook off the pain, stood up and ran out the hut. He stared at the sky in shock, watching a smoke trail, that was surely Yanmega, leading all the way to the other side of the wall.

He shook his head, baffled, "Fucking hell."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Yanmega:** (He looked annoyed. Smoke appeared from his body) Eliminated first. Great. That just gives people more reasons to kick my butt off this island.

 **Infernape:** Do I think it was a good idea to reveal that info for the public to see? (He shrugged) At this point, I don't give a shit anymore. Despite all the shit I've seen in my life, I'd like to believe I lead a good one. Got a good family, and friends I count on. (He nodded to himself) A good life indeed...

* * *

Having just seen a lightning bolt removing someone from the challenge, Meowstic pulled his head back inside the hut and kept looking around the place, always keeping his guard up. Despite that, his eyes were filled with joy. By far, this was his favourite challenge. As an apocalypse fan, this was everything he could've wanted. If, no, _when_ the zombies show up, he may consider today the greatest day of his life.

He paused, noticing he couldn't hear anything right now. His eyes widened, hearing an alert going off inside his mind, telling him something terrible was coming. He ran around the place, determined to not let any disaster claim him while his guard was down. Then he heard the wind coming through the window.

He took one quick peek outside and felt his heartbeat increasing its speed, discovering what the next disaster taking place was. Above the hut he was staying in, something was poking out of the dark clouds, creating an increasingly large tornado that would surely destroy anything in its path. Meowstic pulled his head back in and ran into a small room. Having already checked the place when he first arrived, he removed a straw from the wall, put it in his mouth, and then focused on the ground beneath.

He closed his eyes and extended his paws. Cracks appeared on the ground moments before breaking it, as he held up a good sized chunk of dirt with his telekinesis. He jumped into the gaping hole and lied down. He carefully put the dirt back into the hole, engulfing him underground. However, he used his telekinesis to create a small hole for him to poke a straw through. He put it in his mouth and started breathing through the straw.

Just as he flattened the ground above surface, a large tornado crashed through the room he was just in no more than a minute ago. Meowstic clenched his paws, telling himself to control his breathing, reminding himself what all his training had been about. Still, he couldn't help but be in awe, feeling raw power right above him. The ground vibrated, shaking him to his core.

After what felt like an hour had passed, even though only minutes had passed at most, he felt the ground had stopped rumbling, and the powerful wind became distant. Meowstic remained still, concentrating on controlling his breathing. He wanted to be absolutely sure he was in the clear. For all he knew, he could be inside the eye of the storm. After spending another two minutes waiting, he finally decided to risk resurfacing above ground.

Using his telekinesis, he created a hole big enough for him to climb out. He spat out his straw and took several deep breaths. He looked around the place and gasped. The hut was destroyed. Several minutes had passed, but the only thing left of the building was scattered straws all over the ground.

Hie ears perked and turned his head, seeing the tornado moving away from him, destroying another hut. A smile appeared on his face, and let out a chuckle. He then ran the other way, now confident he can survive more tornadoes.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Azelf:** (His wide eyes filled with awe, and his jaws dropped. He finally spoke a moment later) Man, that guy is _good_!

 **Meowstic:** (He showed a prideful smile) That's what being a prepper is all about. It could save your life one day.

* * *

As the psychic cat ran by, he hadn't even noticed a certain blimp staring at him from behind a nearby hut. Luckily for him, his cover had been out of reach for the tornado. As he saw the large gust of wind disappear in the distance, he let out a sigh, before turning to the dragon near him, "We should hopefully be safe for now."

Hydreigon looked up at the blimp, before sighing, "The storm will...Soon return though...We must keep...Moving."

Drifblim nodded, picking up the dragon bridal style, which she oddly seemed to always be fine with. Though, it's not like the blimp cared much. At this very moment, his main goal was to survive this challenge, or at least do so for as long as possible. And at this moment, he also wanted to make sure Hydreigon made it through the challenge. She was most definitely the weakest in terms of actual skill on their team, and while he had no doubts that one of the veterans or Octillery would be the next to go on his team, he couldn't be too sure about that. The longer he knew she was safe, the less he'd have to...Did she just fall asleep?

He blinked, before glancing down at his arms. Indeed, the dragon was now sleeping in his arms, as he let out a sigh, "This will be more difficult than expected, I feel."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Drifblim:** (He gave the camera a hard glare) I know the feeling of being the weakest link. When I was only that of a mere Drifloon, I was basically incapable of defending myself. Now, I am not so weak, and along with that, much more determined. To put it simply, I shall not allow Hydreigon to leave this game just due to her own uncontrollable weakness. As long as I'm in game, her safety in it shall be considered top priority.

* * *

Running past several huts while glancing at the tornado nearby, Sableye looked behind her, no longer seeing Turtonator. But that didn't mean she should relax yet. For all she knew, Turtonator could be right around the corner. Not to mention her ability, Stall, had always made her slow. Not wanting to risk running into Turtonator any longer, she launched herself into the nearest hut. She scrambled over to the window and sat underneath it.

She didn't hear any stomping nearby, meaning she might be in the clear. She would've let out a sigh of relief, if she hadn't spotted Jellicent and Komala in the room. Even from a distance, Sableye felt a chill run down her spine from looking into Jellicent's eyes.

"Do you always do that at home?" Sableye asked.

Jellicent was silent for a moment, before speaking up, "Yes."

Sableye stood up and walked over to her, "Why? Why are you always like this? It is because you were born this way? Or you saw a traumatic experience that rocked you to your core? Or is your creepy self nothing more than a fraud?"

Jellicent remained silent, her mind telling herself to not make a single reaction for Sableye to notice. However, she kept her eyes on Sableye, who was becoming nervous again.

Sableye shook it off and pointed her finger at the ghost, "Let's say the answer is in my questions. If you were born this way, does that mean your family is like this as well?"

Jellicent didn't react, staring peering into Sableye's eyes.

"What kind of family do you have? Did they all die horribly by the hands of some psycho killer and then came back to life as ghosts?" Instead of making Jellicent sweat, Sableye felt her legs trembling, feeling Jellicent's eyes peering into her soul. One glimpse of Komala in Jellicent's arms was enough for Sableye to put aside her thought of running away, and glare at the jellyfish Pokemon, "You can't make me run away, Jellicent! You're mysterious, meaning you have secrets! You want to have a staring contest? Two can play that game!"

Sableye stood straight, glaring into Jellicent's vacant eyes, each determined to make the other tremble. Komala slowly opened her eyes halfway. She looked down at Sableye, who seemed to be glaring at her until she turned her head upward, seeing Jellicent. She raised a brow at this predicament and wondered whether she should ask them or head back to sleep. She made up her mind a second later, and closed her eyes, sending herself back to slumber land.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Jellicent:** (She glared at the camera) Out of everyone here, Sableye is the one who sickens me and gives me the most trouble by far. She's an annoying little bitch who thinks that she can get whatever she wants out of anybody just because she's persistent and determined...Well, she has another thing coming.

 **Sableye:** (She narrowed her eyes at the camera in suspicion) Of all the secrets everyone is hiding, Jellicent appears to be withholding it the most. Everyone sees her as a creepy ghost. But is that the real Jellicent? Is she like that back home? Or is it all an act? (She slammed a fist to her hand) I am going to get to the bottom of this. And no amount of creepy as hell staring contests is gonna stop me!

* * *

Wormadam was hopping across an abandoned garden, with Ursaring and Vanilluxe following her, "C'mon! We need to get away from the tornado!"

Vanilluxe glanced behind him, seeing a medium size tornado on his trail, creating a devastating mess in its path. He gulped and looked back at his teammates, "Yikes! That is one scary tornado."

"It's a tornado!" Ursaring shouted over the gust of wind from the tornado, "It's supposed to be scary! Have you ever seen a nice tornado?"

Vanilluxe smiled, "Well, no, but I'm sure there are adorable baby tornad-"

"Focus, guys!" Wormadam shouted, glancing at her teammates, "If we gets caught, our team lose three players at once!"

Vanilluxe and Ursaring nodded, "Right!" They shouted in unison before increasing their speed, moving past Wormadam, much to her dismay.

"Wait for me, morons!" She shouted at them, hopping quicker albeit looking like she was about to pass out.

"Oh, sorry," Vanilluxe said before lowering himself and pushed Wormadam off the ground, carrying her on his heads. He smiled at her, "There you go."

Wormadam gave him an annoyed stare, "I didn't asked to be carried like a bride, but-" She let out a sigh, "Thanks."

Despite increasing their speed, it didn't seem to work as the tornado had too increased its speed. They were becoming unsure how they can get away from the tornado. Just as they ran past a hut, Turtonator stepped out and faced the tornado, glaring at it.

Seeing her in the corner of his eyes, Vanilluxe turned around and gasped, "Turtonator!" He moved towards his wife, who unleashed Flamethrower onto the tornado, engulfing the whole thing on fires. However, it seemed to be holding the force of nature back.

Ursaring, who stopped and turned around, gasped, "Whoa…"

"I've gotta help her!" Vanilluxe shouted, floating over to Turtonator, who kept using Flamethrower on the tornado, pushing it back. He looked up at Wormadam, "Wormadam, can you please get off my heads?"

Wormadam hopped off without a word. Using the pipe on one of his heads, Vanilluxe unleashed a powerful snow storm onto the tornado, creating a mixture of fire and ice on the tornado.

"Hey, that was Blizzard!" Ursaring glanced at Wormadam, eyes widened, "What are they doing?"

Wormadam looked back at the tornado she and the others were running away a minute ago. At first, she was confused at Turtonator and Vanilluxe for making it more dangerous. But she noticed that the tornado was moving backward, and it was becoming unstable, and yet…it becoming slower. Her eyes widened, realizing what their plan was. They were trying to solidify the tornado! She wasn't sure how fire and ice would stop it, but it sounded so cool! It was dangerous, but it didn't stop the married couple from taking on the tornado.

She wanted to join in on trying to stop the tornado in such an epic way! Just as she was about to step in to help the pair, the fires had vanished and tornado pushed forward, catching the married couple off guard. Before they could react, Turtonator and Vanilluxe were engulfed. Due to how loud the tornado was, nobody could hear their screams.

Ursaring snatched Wormadam into his arms, resuming their escape from the force of nature.

"What the damn hell were they thinking?" Ursaring shouted, looking baffled, "What were they trying to accomplish with the tornado?"

Wormadam remained silent, disappointed that she missed out on the action.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Turtonator:** (She looked embarrassed, not willing to look at the camera) Okay, that...Wasn't my best plan. I only stepped in because I wanted to stop the tornado from taking out Vanilluxe. But instead, _I_ got us out. (She slammed her hand to her forehead) God, I'm an idiot.

 **Vanilluxe:** (He was covered in soot, but smiling nevertheless) We all make mistakes in our lives. The best thing to do with mistakes is to learn from it. (He let out a dreamy sigh and stared off into nothing) She was so brave. The fact that she risked her life for me to stay in the challenge? (A blush appeared on his faces) Oh, it's just make me fall over heels for her more.

* * *

"No way, you're a teacher too?" Zebstrika said, eyes wide in shock.

Having stuck together since the challenge had started, Zebstrika and Leavanny were hiding out inside a different, albeit similar hut. Zebstrika would've been fine staying outside since the lightning storm didn't bother him. He couldn't say the same for his teammate. They were sitting in the middle of the room, staying away from the windows to avoid nasty surprises.

Leavanny nodded, "Yes. I teach them English, and Math. It's to teach them to improve their vocabulary and grammar, thus allowing them to engage in more complex conversations, and to create compelling resumes for their job interviews. Math is to help them calculate their accounting for reasonable solutions. Or at the very least, be able to count money," She turned her head towards the window, staring at the grey clouds in the sky. She frowned, "If no one can learn either subject, they won't survive in the real world."

Zebstrika blinked, "Don't you think that's a little...Harsh?"

"Regardless, harsh as it may be, it's important for the students to understand these basic skills so they'll be prepared when they graduate high school," Leavanny rolled her eyes, "If any of them graduate, I mean."

Zebstrika frowned a little, "Not if you keep giving them that attitude."

Leavanny turned to him, "How would you teach them? Insulting them without acknowledging your mistake?"

"Hey, I'm still working on that!" Zebstrika stared at the ground, "I have to. I'm already in trouble with the Board of Education."

"I'd be surprised if I still have my job afterward," Leavanny said, frowning deeper, "The first thing I'm going to do when I'd return is convince them to punish the kids who brought me here."

"Wait, so you're serious?" Zebstrika looked up at her, eyes widened, "I thought everyone here had been chosen because they wanted to compete?"

"You guessed wrong," Leavanny stood up, "But since I'm here instead of someone else who'd prefer to waste several months on an unknown island, I might as well make the best of it. Given my chances against some of the _horrendous_ people here," Her eyes widened, thinking back to competitors like Jellicent and Meowstic, "I don't believe I shall last long."

"Hey, don't say that! You've already outlasted two players-"

"Granbull had terrorised her team to the point where they had to threw the challenge. And Xatu volunteered to leave," Leavanny's eyes softened a bit at mentioning her only friend.

Believing he can cheer her up like he did with several students back at school, albeit half of the time since he chose the wrong words, Zebstrika stood up. He was hoping it wouldn't be the case this time, "Then you shouldn't let Xatu's elimination be in vain! You can help her by staying the game for as long as you can!"

"That's implying I won't win," Leavanny turned to look at him, frowning.

Zebstrika shook his head, "No, what I mean is, it won't be easy. It's…" He paused, choosing his next words carefully, "Like you said, students have to be prepared to face the real world when they leave school. You need to do the same thing here by preparing yourselves for what's to come. At long as you're still in the game, you still have a chance to beat up all the others, and win."

Leavanny stared at him, thinking about what he'd just said to her. Word to word. She still hadn't forgotten his accidental sexist comment back on day one, "Apart from the beating up comment," She stopped frowning, but not smiling either, "You did well choosing your words."

Zebstrika's eyes widened and a grin appeared on his face, "Finally! I'm actually making progress! I can rub that in the Board of Education's faces and show them how wrong they are!"

Leavanny gave him a deadpan stare and pointed at the camera. Zebstrika glanced at the camera and stopped grinning. He groaned and hung his head, "Damn it! Why do I keep doing this?"

Zebstrika's question wasn't answered when two contestants barged into the hut. Zebstrika and Leavanny snapped their heads at them and took a step back in surprise.

"Huh?" Purugly said, tilting her head at them, surprised as well, "Guess we're not alone anymore."

Quagsire smiled, "Yay, we get to finally have company. That's nice."

Seeing the goofball, Leavanny groaned, "Great. _You're_ here."

Quagsire happily waved at her, "Hello, friendly teacher lady."

"So what are you guys doing here?" Zebstrika asked the pair before him.

"We were running for our lives when a tornado was chasing us," Purugly said, nodding at the entrance she and Quagsire came through.

Leavanny's eyes widened, "Pardon me, did you say-"

She was cut off when said tornado arrived, destroying the front of the hut within seconds. All four of them screamed and ran the other way, heading towards the window. They screeched to a halt when a second tornado crashed through, destroying a different side of the hut and the roof.

"Fuck, we're trapped!" Zebstrika snapped his head at both tornados approaching them.

"Maybe we can attack our way out?" Purugly had to shout over both tornados' powerful wind and crashing sounds.

"You can't simply attack a tornado less alone two!" Leavanny shouted, looking frightened, "It would cancel out our movements right away!"

Quagsire blinked, before smiling at Purugly, "I have an idea."

Purugly snapped her head at him, eyes widened, "What it is?"

Suddenly, the cat felt herself get picked up by the water fish, who held her in only one hand, before throwing her over the roof, pasting the two tornados, and landing right into a bush nearby, which allowed the cat a soft landing. As this happened, he called out to her, "I hope I didn't hurt you."

Leavanny gripped Quagsire's shoulders, eyes pleading, "Throw me next!"

He smiled, "Okay, I can do that-"

Before Quagsire could finish his sentence, both tornados launched forward, engulfing the three of them. Dazed from her landing, Purugly shook her head and looked up. Her eyes widened, seeing Zebstrika flying around inside the tornado, screaming.

She also saw Leavanny flailing and screaming as well inside a different tornado until the laughing Quagsire crashed into Leavanny, now stuck together for a time's being. Purugly cringed and ran away, taking her chance while she can.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Purugly:** (She smirked at the camera) I'll be sure to give him a reward for saving me. (She licked her lips) Perhaps a _special_ reward…

 **Leavanny:** (She frowned at the camera) Just as I expected, this challenge was nothing more than amusement for the viewers, and most likely the hosts. (She rubbed where her ears would be) I'm still trying to regain my hearing from the tornados and Quagsire's obnoxious laughing.

 **Quagsire:** (He smiled at the camera) Purugly's a very kind lady. She'd have done the same for me.

* * *

Loud feedback was heard throughout the village, Azelf's voice coming through, "Nice job surviving the storm and the tornados! Only eighteen of you remain! Be warned, it's only gonna get tougher for you all." He chuckled, "Have fun!" The intercom turned off.

On cue, the perimeter around the village began to raise, until it was over twenty feet tall, making it look like they were inside an arena. When the wall had stopped moving, several panels on the ground slid open all over the village. One by one, water poured out, quickly filling the village.

Seeing water coming into the hut, Chandelure gasped and floated higher, "Oh no…"

Furret cried out a bit, feeling the sudden cold water, soaking her lower body, "The water is cold!"

"Forget how uncomfortable the water is," Chandelure looked at her, frightened beyond mistakes, "We need to get to higher ground!"

Before Furret could speak up, she found herself floating in mid-air, coated in a purple outline. Chandelure was using his telekinesis to lift her. Her eyes widened, and she started to flail, "Hey, put me down! Put me down!"

Chandelure didn't listen to her begging and floated out the window. He moved onto the roof, where he set Furret down. She snapped her head at him, "Don't ever do that again unless you ask me first!" She glared at him.

Chandelure was taken aback by her aggressive behavior, but nodded, "Of course. I apologise. I just didn't want to be too close to the water."

The anger in Furret's eyes went away, but she was still frowning, "Okay. Just please ask me next time. I don't like it when people touch me or lift me without asking," She rubbed her body, checking to see if her body felt different after being lifted with the psychic move.

Small guilt appeared on Chandelure's face, "I understand. I won't do it again until I've asked for your permission."

"Thank you," Furret said, stopped frowning albeit still touching her body. She looked at Chandelure, "You're afraid of water because you'll die when your flame goes out, correct?"

Chandelure glanced at the rapidly increasing water. He felt his heart beat a little faster. He glanced back at Furret, "Yes, that's right."

Furret finally stopped checking her body, now feeling comfortable with herself again. She looked at Chandelure, "But still, how are you able to clean yourself? I'm guessing you don't take showers do you?"

"I still take showers. Drizzling won't be enough to put my species out, but it's still an unpleasant experience every time."

Furret raised both brows in surprise, "Huh, I didn't know that."

"Well, now you do," Chandelure said, giving her a small smile, "Everyone learns something new everyday."

Furret nodded, "That's right. Otherwise, people would be kinda dumb."

Chandelure chuckled, but he stopped smiling and stared at the water, which had engulfed the village in a matter of minutes.

Furret looked around the village, "So we're stuck here until the flood is over?"

Chandelure sighed, "I'm afraid so. Let's just hope it'll end sooner than one would think."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** I may not be happy about Chandelure lifting me without my permission, but I can understand why he did it. Water beats fire every time. My Mom's a fire type, but she isn't afraid of water. So the real question is, does anyone else have the same fear as Chandelure's?

* * *

Infernape groaned, climbing onto the straw roof using most of his energy. Once he had his legs at the top, he turned his body around and flopped onto it, breathing heavily. He coughed and then sat up. He sighed, seeing water now engulfed most of the village. He can also see Jellicent, Sableye, and Komala on top of the different hut nearby to his right. For some reason, Jellicent and Sableye had never stopped exchanging glares. Whatever, they weren't his teammates, therefore, not his problem.

He turned his head to the left. It was getting hard for him to see clearly, but he was sure he thought he saw Chandelure and Furret. Again, not his teammates. Not his problem. Wonder where the hell his teammates were. He hope no one else apart from Yanmega had been eliminated yet. It would put his team in a shitty situation if his team was already down to him and someone else. He wasn't planning on going back to an elimination ceremony anytime soon.

He snapped out of his thoughts, hearing splashing and crying out for help. He looked down and turned his head to right, careful not to slide off the roof. He can see Raichu flailing in the water, struggling to stay above the surface. The amount of panels pouring water out had caused the electric mouse to be carried by the current.

"Life may suck for me-" Raichu's head went underwater, only to resurface two seconds later, now looking even more frightened, "Most of the time, but I still give a shit!"

Infernape's eyes became rounded. Despite the hosts' reassurance that no one would be put at serious risk, and that Raichu wasn't his teammate, he wasn't going to let someone drown because he did nothing. He turned his body around and lowered himself down, hanging onto the edge. He snapped his head at Raichu, who just noticed him.

"Grab my tail!" Infernape shouted, wiggling his tail.

Using the current, Raichu paddled over and gripped Infernape's tail, "Got it!"

Infernape nodded and looked back at his hands. Here's come the hard part…He gritted his teeth, using every bit of his muscles to slowly pull himself. He roared, already feeling agonising pain throughout his muscles as he lifted himself onto the roof for the second time today. He breathed heavily. He impressed with himself that he was succeeded in saving someone at his age. But goddamn it, it drained all of his energy. The urge to fall asleep had increased. He growled in annoyance, feeling Raichu climbing up his tail and then slump forward, landing on top of him.

"You need to work out more," Raichu said, giving a tired look at Infernape.

"I _do_ work out," Infernape said, giving him a tired glare, "Time is just not on my side anymore. How about a thank you for saving your ass?"

"Oh, right...Yeah, thanks," Raichu said, rolling himself off of Infernape. He stared up at the dark clouds above him, "What now, am I in your debt or something?"

Infernape rolled himself so he lied on his back as well, "Just making sure you don't go home in a bodybag."

"Honestly, that wouldn't be the worst transportation," Raichu said, resting his head on his paws.

Infernape let out a weak chuckle, "I can attest to that."

"You died and came back to life?" Raichu glanced at him, "Meowstic would probably be thrilled by it."

"I almost died at the hands of my enemies, my teammates, and my wife. Do any of them count?"

"Only if it makes you want to drink away your problem," Raichu said, giving him a smirk.

Both men chuckled. Infernape glanced at the electric mouse, "Who are you?"

Raichu looked back at the sky, let out a sigh, and smiled.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Raichu:** (He slumped against his seat, showing a lazy smile) It's always good to know there's someone out there who has no idea who I am. (He stopped smiling) After two decades, I _crave_ it.

 **Infernape:** (He slumped against his seat, looking like he was about to pass out from exhaustion) Ugh...Now I know how my former commander felt. Being old _sucks!_

* * *

"Glad you've finally calmed down, Octillery," Ninjask said, smiling.

"Water is, like, my domain," Octillery said, floating in the water, which had raised all the way to the second floor. She and the boys were inside a bedroom. Debris were floating beside them. They were by the window in case they need to escape, "Kinda brings back that sense of home," She frowned, "Though, having my parents around always makes it feel like I'm in prison instead."

"Bad relationship with your parents?" Ninjask asked.

"They're the reason I'm even here in the first place. They think they're _so_ smart, but they sent me to an island filled with old strangers. Hello, have they heard of stranger danger?" Octillery scoffed, "At this point, I wouldn't be, like, surprised if they got married because they banged each other too soon."

Ninjask blinked, taken aback by Octillery's blunt dislike to her family, "Don't you think that's a bit...Harsh to your parents, Octillery? I'm sure they have good reasons for their actions."

Araquanid sighed nearby, "Honestly, I was a mistake myself, so it isn't the strangest thought in the world. They happen a lot more often than most people realize."

Octillery shrugged, "Meh, probably."

Ninjask stared at the two contestants, bewildered in dismay, "You guys can't think of your family like that! You don't know what they're really thinking."

Octillery gave him a lazy stare, "How do you know? You've never met them."

The spider nearby looked down, "I'm used as the punching bag for my family. If someone's in a rotten mood, they throw every insult at me only."

Ninjask stared at him, eyes widened, "Guys, I'm…" Feeling the sense of despair and indifference growing in the room, he flew out the window. He looked back at them, "I'll be right back. Just gonna check what's happening outside."

Araquanid and Octillery watched him fly upward, before turning back to their original business. Ninjask reached the roof and looked around, seeing most of the village flooded with water. He sighed.

"Man, these guys seem to have it rougher than I thought. They definitely need to cheer up. Maybe I can get that ice cream guy to help me?" Ninjask glanced around, seeing if Vanilluxe was anywhere nearby. However, one contestant had caught his eyes. To his left, he saw Meowstic had launched himself off of one hut, and landed on the next. Ninjask's eyes brightened and moved towards him, "Meowstic!"

Meowstic snapped his head at Ninjask, looking surprised seeing the bug approaching him. He had his guard up though. He still remembered how he threw him under the bus in the previous challenge. If push comes to shove, he would fight. He nodded at him, "Hello."

"You've done a great job at surviving so far!" Ninjask said, smiling at him, "Makes sense since you're kinda trained for this."

"Right," Meowstic said, showing a slight smile as he glanced at his surroundings, "It's my favourite challenge by far."

"I hope one of the future challenges will be related to history. I can totally kick butt at that!" Ninjask said, grinning as his body became straighter.

Meowstic glanced at him, "Out of curiosity, what have you been doing since the challenge started?"

"I've been hanging out with Octillery and Araquanid," Ninjask said, not noticing Meowstic's eyes widening at the mention of the latter's name, "Though, they have some seriously rough lives back home. I feel so sorry for them. Kinda makes you think you should appreciate your family more if they've been good to you."

Meowstic remained silent, taking in the facts Ninjask had told him about his friends. He and Octillery had never met, but from what he had heard, she was a slacker. Definitely would be amongst the first to die if she didn't get her act together. He had only spoken to Araquanid once, and yet he felt like he had known him for years when they talked about their common interest in the zombie apocalypse.

But he mustn't attach himself to anyone apart from his family. The less people he cared about, the less likely they would drag him down. However, his recent conversation with Drifblim was still in mind, saying how he would never truly be strong as long as he sealed himself away from other people. He didn't believe it, but if zombie TV shows had taught him anything, it was that _'united we stand, divided we fall-'_

"Are you still there, dude?"

Meowstic snapped out of his thoughts and jumped backward out of instinct. He stared back at Ninjask, who looked surprised and raised his hands in defense, "Whoa, it's cool dude!"

Meowstic dropped his fighting pose and sighed. He stared back at him. Maybe, just maybe he should try it out, see how it would benefit him. But at the first sign of trouble, he would remove them from the challenge before they knew it. Plus, having Ninjask on his side would be smart, considering he needed a flying ally to survive the upcoming disasters.

"Sorry. So where are your friends?" Meowstic asked.

Ninjask pointed at the two-story hut nearby, "Over there. On the second floor."

"Would you take me there?"

Ninjask smiled, "Sure I can!" He extended both hands to him, "Just grab my hands!"

Meowstic nodded and gripped onto Ninjask's hands, doing so with a tight grip, so the second Ninjask tried anything funny, he could use the small amount of time to bring him down with him. Ninjask moved upwards, lifting Meowstic into the air, and proceeded to carry him back to the two story hut. Meowstic had his eyes on Ninjask the entire time, until they reached the building. The psychic Pokemon threw himself through the window, landing in the water, much to Araquanid and Octillery's surprise.

Meowstic soon resurfaced, gripping the window to prevent himself from submerging into the water again. Ninjask flew into the room, smiling, "Hey, guys! I brought back a friend!"

Meowstic stared at the pair before him and gave them a nod, "Hello."

Araquanid blinked, before slowly returning the wave with a smile, "Oh, hey dude. Haven't talked to you in awhile."

"I have my reasons for it," the cat proceeded to glance about in suspicion of this new environment.

"Like what?" Octillery asked.

"Preventing myself from being eaten by zombies, or getting stabbed in the back by a living Pokemon," Meowstic said, casually.

Octillery stared at him like he was growing another head, "What…?"

Araquanid blinked, "...You get this isn't an actual zombie movie, right? I mean, I'm into them and all, but I wouldn't say I was actually gonna get attacked by one."

"It's still a possibility. After all, the creation of everything is producing this show. That, and we have a trash bag and ice cream as actual Pokemon. Who's to say there isn't a zombie Pokemon out there?"

The spider gave him a look, "I mean...I guess you kinda have a point."

Octillery whispered to Araquanid, "Your friend is kind of a weirdo."

"You know I can hear you, right?" Meowstic's face was neutral.

"Then you're even weirder," Octillery shrugged.

Ninjask brushed his hand against the water, "You know, guys, as far as this disaster goes, it's really simpl-"

Meowstic pressed his paw against Ninjask's mouth, silencing him, "Don't provoke Murphy's Law!"

They heard a sudden crash nearby, and someone cried out. They looked out of the window, seeing Bastiodon screaming and flailing in the water, carried away by the current.

"Somebody-" Bastiodon's head went underwater before resurfacing again two seconds later, "Help me!" He fell into the water once more before resurfacing, "I'm a well-known celebrity-" He fell into the water again, but this time, it took longer for him to resurface. He coughed and gasped, "This can't be the end of-" He went underwater again, but he didn't come back up immediately.

The four contestants watched by, looked nervous. Ninjask glanced at Meowstic, his eyes filled with worried, "Should we help the guy?"

Meowstic held up a paw, "Hang on a few seconds. I want to see how it would go."

Araquanid looked worried, "How it would go?! He'll drown!"

"I'm gonna go help!" Ninjask was about to move to make a rescue attempt, when he saw bubbles surfacing on the water. A large sphere came out of the water, containing the panicking Bastiodon, who was banging his head against the sphere. He was screaming his head off as the sphere floated into the air and carried him away.

A loud feedback was heard, before Mesprit's voice came over the intercom, "Just to give you a head up, if any of you is completely submerged for ten seconds, it still counts as being eliminated. None of you have to worry about drowning! That is all," The intercom was turned off.

The four contestants inside the two story hut looked down at the water, before they all gripped against the window, stopping themselves from submerging. Meowstic narrowed his eyes at Ninjask, "Word of advice, don't provoke Murphy's Law in a dangerous situation like this."

Ninjask sweatdropped.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Bastiodon:** (He was shivering, wearing a towel around him. He was still soaking. He gave the camera a weak glare) Espeon, next time you put me on the roof, make sure it can carry my weight! (His eyes bulged) I almost died! Do you have any idea what kind of repercussions this show would face if I die? They'll be cancelled! They'll put a memorial of me here! Dramatic as my death would be, I'm far too young to perish! Maybe it would be a good time to write a book about my traumatic experience underwater?

 **Ninjask:** Okay, maybe Meowstic has a point about Murphy's Law, but what if Bastiodon was actually drowning? I can't sit by and just watch! You know, sometimes, I feel like there is something a bit off about Meowstic, but maybe it's just me.

 **Meowstic:** Despite my intention of going into this game alone, I'll try out sticking with several others in this challenge. None of them are on my team, so when the time comes, I'll sacrifice them for my team's benefit.

* * *

Using butterfly techniques, Espeon had finally reached the tall hill, one of the few pieces of land which hadn't been submerged. She crawled out of the water, slumping onto the grass, "F-" She coughed out water, "Finally…"

"Oh, it's about time I had some company."

Espeon's eyes widened, recognizing that voice. She lifted her head, seeing Purugly sitting on top of the hill, smirking down at her. She narrowed her eyes, "Oh... _You_."

"Yep, me," Purugly walked down, standing in front of Espeon, "Had a nice swim?"

Espeon stood up, her legs trembling. She glared at the fat cat, "I would have already gone for another if I wasn't completely drained of energy," She shook her body, splashing water in all directions.

Purugly frowned, rubbing away the water from her face. She then flashed her a smirk, "I've got a question for ya," She lied on her side, showing off her team colored buff covering most of her body, "Do I look hotter like this?" She quickly removed her buff and began to wear it on her left ear like a bandanna, "Or like this?" She removed her buff again and wrapped it on her tail, "Or this?" She removed it once more and put it over her hind legs, wearing her buff on her butt, "Or-"

She stopped smirking, noticing Espeon was no longer around. She turned around, spotting her on top of the hill, glaring down at her in disgust.

"You're disgusting!" Espeon said, "Our buffs aren't made to show off your vulgar body!"

Purugly walked upwards, "Why not? We can wear it however we want."

The Eeveelution glare intensified, "I'd much prefer if you didn't wear it in an inappropriate fashion. There are children watching!"

Purugly looked around and then looked back at Espeon, frowning at her, "Have you seen any children? I certainly haven't."

"I'm referring to _these_ children," Espeon nodded towards the camera.

Purugly glanced at the camera and smirked, "Oh...Them!" She turned around and wiggled her butt at the camera, "Get ready for puberty, kids! You won't be thinking about cooties any longer."

Espeon gasped and ran in front of the camera, making only her face cover up the whole screen. She gasped louder, feeling her behind was rubbed against Purugly's. She snapped her head at the cat, who froze, coated in a pink outline. She screamed, as the cat was thrown off the hill and landed into the water, creating a large splash.

Purugly resurfaced, coughing. She snapped her head upwards, glaring at Espeon, "Hey, that was uncalled for!"

"No, what's uncalled for was you showing off your vulgarity to innocent children!"

"I was just giving them a sneak peek!" Purugly said, climbing out of the water.

"A sneak peek to an unnatural path of life in Hell!" A vein was popping out of Espeon's forehead.

"If there is one!" Purugly began to walk up the hill again, when she stopped, seeing Espeon's eyes glowing pink.

"If you take one more step on this hill, I will personally throw you out of this challenge for everyone's innocence!"

Purugly scoffed, "And by everyone, you mean you?"

She widened her eyes, seeing a wooden chair slam into the water beside her. She looked back at Espeon, who was using her telekinesis to hold up another wooden chair. The cat frowned and sat down, "Fine."

Espeon's eyes stopped glowing, and she put the chair down, but she kept glaring at her.

Both ladies were exchanging glares, until Purugly turned away and sat down. Espeon turned away as well, her thoughts filled with unspeakable actions against the vulgar cat she abhorred.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Espeon:** (She glared at the camera) Vile woman.

 **Purugly:** (She glared at the camera) Strict bitch.

* * *

Sitting on top of a different hut, Ursaring and Wormadam looked around the area, bracing themselves for what was to come.

"So, what do you think the next disaster will be?" Ursaring asked.

Wormadam looked up at the dark clouds, and then down at the flood below, "It better not be a snow storm or an avalanche," She looked at her cloaks, "Even my cloaks wouldn't protect me from those!"

"Don't worry, I'll keep you warm if it comes to that," Ursaring said, giving her a smile.

"Appreciate the offer, but a true cop has to face all adversities no matter what they are!" Wormadam narrowed her eyes, and stood straight.

Ursaring shrugged, "Okay then. The offer still stands whenever you'll need it."

Wormadam glanced at him and then looked back at the area. She felt something land on her pointy nose. It was small, but it felt cold. She felt another land on her head. She looked up, and her eyes widened, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me…" she muttered.

Seeing Wormadam's unnerved reaction, Ursaring tilted his head up, feeling his eyes becoming as wide as a dinner plate. It was snow. Snow was falling from the sky! What appeared to be gentle snow at first, became violent in mere seconds. The pair cried out, feeling the cold gush of wind hit them.

The camera began to pan across the village, revealing the cast's struggles to survive the storm. Drifblim clutched onto the shivering Hydreigon in his hands, determined to find a safe place to hold up. He couldn't help but shiver as well, but dared not to show it. The wind almost blew Raichu off the roof, until Infernape grabbed his arm, gripping onto the roof with his other hand. Meowstic pulled Octillery, Araquanid, and Ninjask towards him, hugging them to bring heat between them, all while showing a blank expression.

Espeon and Purugly screamed, gripping onto the ground to prevent themselves from being blown away, but were completely exposed to the storm. Sableye jumped into the Jellicent's arms, clutching onto Komala, who returned the hug. The jellyfish flew away, trying to find a place where it wasn't completely submerged in the now pouring icy wind and now nearly frozen pool of water below.

Chandelure glanced at Furret, who was beginning to tremble regardless of her fur, "Furret, wrap your arms around me. We need to huddle for warmth."

Furret snapped her head at him, the thought of someone warming her overcoming her dislike of physical contact. She nodded and hugged Chandelure, who wrapped his chandelier arms around her. She sighed happily, now feeling at least a little warm again. She glanced up at her friend, "Thanks for asking me this time," she showed a small smile.

Chandelure glanced at her and smiled, "You're welcome." He could feel his heart beating quicker the more he embraced her.

Ursaring wrapped his arms around himself, feeling his teeth clattering. He glanced at Wormadam, who was shivering like crazy. He pulled her into his arms. Wormadam didn't object and pressed her head to Ursaring's chest.

"W-W-We n-need t-to f-find s-shelter! S-Stat!" Wormadam shouted over the strong winds.

Ursaring quickly nodded and looked down at the roof he was on. It was at a forty-five degree angle, so he would have to be careful while he walked down. He began his trek down the roof, one step at a time. He was halfway through when a huge gust of wind blasted his back, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward. He cried out, falling off the roof and landing in the water.

Feeling the harsh cold in the water, Wormadam squirmed out of Ursaring's arms and swam to the surface. She coughed, now shivering more than ever. There were icicles hanging off her nose, and on the top of her head. Ursaring resurfaced as well, also have icicles stuck to his face. They were about to start swimming to get out of the water, when they cried out in pain, feeling a sharp pain throughout their body. They then saw something ahead.

The rapidly decreasing temperatures had caused the falling snow to become hail. But it wasn't that they noticed. It was the debris filled flood changing it's color from a clear blue to white. Their eyes became larger just as the water they were in had become frozen, trapping them.

Ursaring cried out in shock, "We're trapped!" He jerked his body left and right, but nothing had changed.

"I can see that, Captain Obvious!" Wormadam shouted, feeling her heart slamming against her chest, realizing she couldn't move any of her body, "We need to get out of here!"

No amount of shaking was enough to even make a crack in the ice. The pair froze, feeling themselves engulfed inside a clear sphere coated in a purple outline. It lifted them, causing the ice around them to break into pieces. They stared at the sphere in bewilderment as it carried them over the village and disappeared behind the wall.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Wormadam:** (She was wearing a blanket, covering her whole body except her face. She was still shivering) I-I d-despise t-this s-show.

* * *

Drifblim growled to himself, as he pushed himself through the storm slowly, holding Hydreigon close to him in order to give her warmth. While he may have a bit of a delayed reaction to most physical actions, he couldn't deny the weather was getting to him. His outside, normally pushable and soft, was now hard, as he growled to himself, "Dammit...This is starting to go too far! Most normal men couldn't last ten minutes out in this frozen hellhole."

The dragon in his arms shuddered, as she pulled the blimp closer, "P-Please c-calm...D-Down D-Drifblim…"

He glanced down at her, before huffing, as he continued to fly through the snowstorm, slowly beginning to shiver, before spotting three figures in the distance. He couldn't recognize any of them on initial appearance, as he called out, "Hey! Are all of you okay out there?"

The largest figure paused and turned around. Seeing somebody else out in the storm, the figure approached them, revealing themselves to be Jellicent, Sableye, and Komala, the two little Pokemon still clutching each other, their teeth was now clattering. Even Jellicent shivered, dropping her nightmare fuel act.

"N-No!" Jellicent shouted over the storm, her eyes filled with worried, "W-We need to f-find shelter!"

Drifblim blinked, before looking her down, "Your voice, it's...Different."

"S-Shelter! N-Now!" Jellicent shouted, wanting him to drop the subject before someone else wouldn't notice, especially not while a person with a desire to spill other people's secrets was resting in her arms.

The blimp's look did not deter, as it morphed into a glare, "Yes, in fact...A lot about you seems different. Your mannerisms, your posture, your tone, you don't seem like how you've been presenting yourself."

Jellicent turned around and moved away, not wanting Drifblim to accuse her any further. The blimp continued to glare at her, before beginning to fly away towards a wooden building in the distance. As far as he was aware, the jellyfish hadn't noticed it herself, as he was left with his thoughts. He glanced down at Hydreigon, "Are you still okay?"

She slowly nodded, as she snuggled closer to his body, "Y-Yes I-I...A-Am."

Drifblim allowed a small smile to form, "Good, and do not worry, we are almost at a place where you can warm up."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Jellicent:** (She was wrapped in a thick blanket, shivering) I couldn't maintain my act during a snowstorm. I'm not a world class actress! (She groaned, looking worried) Drifblim was getting suspicious. He knew I wasn't acting like my creepy persona. I had to get away from him. He wasn't on my team, and Sableye was resting in my arms! She's the last person that needs to know about this! (She sighed) I can only hope she didn't hear our conversation.

 **Sableye:** (She was also wrapped in a thick blanket, shivering) I didn't hear everything, but Jellicent's voice...She sounded kinda different. Then she turned away, and left Drifblim and Hydreigon behind. You don't do that unless you're hiding something. (She stopped shivering, a smirk crept on her face) I have a pretty good feeling which theory is a fact.

 **Drifblim:** (He glared at the camera) If there is one thing I hate more than a rotten brute like Granbull, (he growled) it's a liar.

* * *

Still sitting on the roof, Infernape and Raichu hugged each other to keep each other warm, albeit only a little. Because Infernape was a fire type, neither of them were coated in snow yet.

"I can think of worse places to die, but being hugged by an old war veteran in a snowstorm?" Raichu shrugged, "Eh, probably one of the worst."

"Oh, I can definitely think of worse places to die," Infernape shouted over the storm, "We need to keep each other warm. There's no telling how much longer this snowstorm can last."

"Have you done this before with your old team?" Raichu asked, glancing at him.

"Sometimes, we have to do whatever it takes to survive the natural weather around us," Infernape's face became neutral.

"You mean you huddled with other soldiers naked?"

Infernape glared at the electric mouse, "Most of us are always naked!"

The rat shrugged, "It's hard to tell when I live in a place where Pokemon wear fancy clothes."

"I'd never bother with it. I'd just end up burning it all."

Raichu chuckled, "Trust me, I would much rather watch everything I own burn."

"Shitty life?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Mostly shitty." Infernape said, smirking.

"Well, we're in one hell of a shitty situation now."

"Yeah."

"If I have a beer right now, I'd raise it in the air, and say, _'here's to shitty life!'_ " Raichu said, grinning.

Infernape laughed, "Here's to shitty life!"

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Raichu:** (He was wearing a thick blanket around him) Why is it that all my friends here are on different teams? Can I switch over to one of them?

 **Infernape:** (He was wearing a thick blanket around him. He chuckled) Guess the world's smaller than I thought.

* * *

On top of the hill, Espeon was lying on the ground, her teeth clattering as she wrapped her arms around herself, but it didn't stop her from moaning in despair. She shut her eyes, "Dear Lord, p-please provide safety for me to get t-through this terrible s-storm. I have always p-prayed to you wherever I go, ever since I was a m-mere child. I have always treated you with the utmost h-hospitality. I have always retaliated a-against those who o-oppose you. I have always r-respected you, and never asked you for a-anything unless it's important. I know this storm isn't r-real, and it's nothing more than an e-endurance challenge for all of us. But p-please! Please spare me from this horrendous cold!"

"A-Are you done?"

That voice had immediately brought a frown upon Espeon's face, and looked up, seeing Purugly stood before her, shivering.

"W-What do you want?" Espeon shouted over the storm.

"We need to h-huddle to keep ourselves warm." Purugly felt her teeth clattering.

"Absolutely n-not!" Espeon shot her a glare.

Purugly returned a glare, "Hey, you a-asked God for warmth! Here I am!"

Espeon opened her mouth to argue more, but then closed it. She did ask Her Lord for a way to provide warmth to her. If this rotten cat was her only salvation, then she must accept it. She slowly sat up and gave her a small nod.

Purugly moved over to her, sat down and wrapped her front legs around Espeon, who reluctantly did the same. A few seconds later, both ladies couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, feeling the warmth of each other's fur against one another.

"T-That's better, don't you think?" Purugly glanced at her.

"As long you don't t-think of this as r-reconciliation between us!" Espeon glared at her. She became wary when she saw a smirk creep onto Purugly's face.

"Don't worry, that ain't g-gonna happen!" Purugly said before whispering into Espeon's ear, "Why? Because I used to be a _porn star_."

Espeon snapped her eyes open.

"It's like a movie star, but I get to have sex in every film," Purugly's grin became larger, as she whispered more, "With men...And women."

Horror began to appear on Espeon's face. She trembled not because of the cold, but because of the horrendous revelations regarding Purugly. She glanced down at Purugly's back and then felt the front connecting to her. Her body, her disgusting body had been touched in places where she would've been sent straight to hell. Her mind went to diseases, diseases which had spread throughout her innocent body, corrupting it by minutes.

She let out a wail, one that would have echoed throughout the village regardless of the storm.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Espeon:** (She was rubbing a sponge all over her body, all while showing pure disgust) Oh, this is revolting! In that moment, I'd rather die than lay a finger on her vile body!

 **Purugly:** I didn't said all that to freak Espeon out. (She flashed a mischievous smirk to the camera) Okay, I totally did. And it's true, I used to be a porn star. (She get into a more seductive position) So people should know that I'm a _professional_.

* * *

Finally having found a place to hold up that wasn't submerged, Jellicent, Sableye, and Komala huddled inside a two-story hut. They were inside what appeared to be a master bedroom, sitting on a double bed made out of hay.

Sableye looked up at Jellicent, giving her a suspicious glare, "Y-You've been l-lying to us!"

Jellicent's face remained still, forcing herself to get back into her role.

"I h-heard you and D-Drifblim!" Sableye shouted, "You've b-been acting more normal t-than usual!"

Jellicent looked down at her, her eyes vacant, "What is truly normal?"

Sableye didn't deter, and kept on glaring at her, "You w-were running away f-from Drifblim! It proved he was r-right! You're a f-fake!"

Jellicent kept staring at her, showing no emotions. The little gremlin growled, "I'm t-telling everyone about this, y-you know. Drifblim c-can verify for me!"

Jellicent looked up, staring through the window, but still showed no emotions. However, it was getting harder for her to keep her face straight. "You're g-getting uncomfortable now, a-aren't you?" Sableye gave her a smirk, "You can k-keep it up, but the truth s-shall prevail!"

Jellicent was reaching her breaking point. The urge to strangle the life out of the gremlin was getting higher. Her eyes replaced vacant with frustration when she felt a rumble.

"So what are you gonna do-" Sableye felt Jellicent's fin slap over her mouth. She attempted to pry it away, until she felt a larger rumble. She paused, wondering what was it. Feeling the rumbles get louder and louder, Jellicent floated over to the window and poked her head out. Hearing it on her right, she turned and her eyes widened, her face becoming pale.

A triumphant gleam appeared in Sableye's gem eyes, now believing Jellicent was indeed pretending. She would've shouted in triumph if it wasn't for the thundering rumble to her right. She looked at where Jellicent was staring, and felt small herself. Komala, on the other hand, continued to snore, not acknowledging the oncoming danger approaching them at rapid pace, burying everything in its path.

" _Avalanche!_ " Sableye cried out, just as Jellicent squeezed herself out of the window and floated away, determined to outrun the avalanche.

Sableye screamed as Jellicent kept moving forward, dropping her character for her safety. She felt the avalanche was getting closer. She made a quick glance at Sableye and Komala. These two know too much. Well, maybe not Komala since she was sleeping through the whole thing. The thought of her ditching her teammates to give herself more speed had appeared in her mind. But being a liar _and_ a ditcher would only make things worse.

Just as she dropped that thought, the next thing she knew everything went black. Everything was silent. No word had been spoken for what appeared to be several hours when it was actually ten seconds. The three contestants were pulled out of the snow, now trapped inside a similar sphere, branding them as eliminated. All of them were shivering, coated from head to toe in snow. The only thought in their minds right now was their desire to feel warmth. They were taken over to the other side of the wall.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Jellicent:** (She was wrapped in a thick blanket, shivering. She had her face on her fins) No, no, no! Sableye knows now! (She stared at the camera, worried) I need to find a way for her to be quiet!

 **Sableye:** (She was wrapped in a thick blanket, shivering while smirking) While we were waiting for the challenge to be over, Jellicent tried to shut me up, but I told the others to ask Drifblim. (She grinned) Another big secret is about to come out!

* * *

Loud feedback was heard, as Uxie's voice came through, "Four disasters have passed, and twelve of you are still in," he sounded surprised, but then the contestants could feel his expression change into a smirk, "Good. It means more disasters will come into play. That is all," The intercom shut off.

Chandelure frowned at Uxie's announcement. He noticed the cold gusts of wind had vanished, as if someone had flicked a switch and suddenly turned them off. Well, considering the hosts were controlling the disasters, it didn't sound too odd to him. He looked up and saw dark clouds remained in the air, but no more snow had appeared. His eyes fixated on them, but his mind focused on his embrace with Furret. Her fur...It was soft and warm. Like a brand new carpet his mother would put in front of the fireplace. He rubbed Furret's back in slow motion. So soft…

"Chandelure!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Furret, who was pushing herself against his body. She gave him an uneasy look. "Chandelure, please get off of me," Furret said, her mind told her she had spent enough time hugging someone.

Chandelure quickly opened his chandelier arms, allowing his friend to free herself from his grip, "My apologies. I was distracted by the lack of a snowstorm."

Furret raised a brow at him, "Then why were you rubbing my back?"

Chandelure's eyes widened a little, before bowing to her, looking a bit embarrassed, "Again, I apologize. It's quite hard to remove myself from you, b-because you gave a lovely hug," He gave her an odd smile.

Furret stared at him, but gave him an uneasy smile, "Thanks for the compliment. But if there's a next time, try to refrain yourself from rubbing my back without my permission."

Chandelure stopped smiling and nodded, berating himself in his mind, "Of course."

Furret turned around, her mind replaying the moment when Chandelure rubbed her back, but looked around the village, "It's not even that cold anymore," She looked back at her friend, "Do you think the volcano will show up next as some kind of irony?"

Chandelure chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised if that's the hosts' next move."

Furret remained silent, looking back at the village. Her ears perked up, hearing a rumble, which increased in it's sheer power every second. She snapped her head downwards, seeing the roof she stood on was trembling. Chandelure's eyes widened, watching multiple cracks forming in the ice, as water began to leak through the cracks.

He looked at Furret, "Furret! It's an earth-"

Since the hut wasn't designed to withstand an earthquake, the building had crumbled down. Furret screamed, plummeting into the ice and broke through, landing inside the ice cold water. Bubbles came out of her mouth as she screamed, feeling herself getting carried away by the current.

"Furret!" Chandelure shouted, floating downward to reach the water, but not enough so it could splash on him.

Chandelure stared down at the broken ice, trying to find Furret in the water, but he saw no signs of her. He unleashed a Flamethrower onto the ice, melting it into water immediately. He was about to move forward to resume his search for her, when he heard something approaching behind him. He didn't have enough time to turn around when the wooden debris slammed into him, knocking him into the water.

Finding himself in a watery pit of darkness, he froze, feeling the energy of his body slowly vanish. He had never been underwater before, since he would've died.

...Dying…

That word replayed in his mind over and over again like a broken record player. He didn't watch his flames go out, but it felt like it. Perhaps he was sent to the afterlife, where the first place he would wake up was at the place where he died. Being underwater...It was a strange sensation. It felt more solid than he'd ever-Solid?

He blinked, finding himself out of the water and staring up at the sky. He blinked again, and rubbed against the solid sensation beneath him. He turned, seeing his chandelier arms making contact with some kind of odd orb, realizing he was now inside it. He faced forward, seeing Furret in the sky over the village. He could see her curling into her lap, shivering. Chandelure's eyes widened. He didn't die. This orb had saved him!

Still, it was hard to process that little fact, as his mind filled with thoughts of his near death experience and Furret's well being. They were moved over the wall, eliminating them from the challenge.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Furret:** (She was wearing a thick blanket, shivering. She stared at the camera, eyes widened) T-That was horrifying! I have n-never felt so cold and h-helpless in my life! I h-honestly thought I was going to d-d-die! (She shut her eyes, muttering to herself) Window seat. Window seat. Window seat. Window seat. Window seat. (She opened her eyes and let out a huge sigh) Whenever I'm on the brink of panicking, I mutter "window seat" five times to myself in order to calm down. It works every time. (She curled into her lap) But still...I'd prefer not to go through that again. Please?

 **Chandelure:** (He stared at the camera, eyes widened) I almost died. (He looked down in disbelief) Why? The logical thing is to leave her, because I know the hosts wouldn't let her suffer in a perilous situation. So why would I go out of my way to risk my life for someone who wasn't even on my team? I'm not in crucial need for new allies. (His eyes widened in realization and looked back at the camera) Wait a minute...Before Furret fell into the water, she looked quite uncomfortable after we broke off from our hug. It must've been when I gave her a compliment about her hug after I…(He looked uncomfortable) Rubbed her back. (He looked away from the camera once more, looking ashamed) Oh, my goodness...I can't believe I did that. It was so inappropriate of me. I should've been better than that.

* * *

Throughout the village, the remaining players faced the same perilous situation. Espeon and Purugly screamed, before the former quickly pushed the latter off of her, shuddering in disgust. They both stood up and ran around the hill, avoiding the cracks forming.

Araquanid, Octillery, Ninjask, and Meowstic had broken apart from their hug, escaping through the window, and stepping on the ice. Seeing cracks forming beneath them, Meowstic snapped his head at the bug next to him. "Ninjask, fly!" he shouted, grabbing Ninjask's right hand.

Making no objection, Ninjask flew upwards, pulling Meowstic into the air when the ice broke underneath Araquanid and Octillery, as they fell into the water.

"GAH!" Octillery shouted, flailing in the water, splashing some of it onto Araquanid, who shivered due to the cold temperature, "This is _way_ too cold!" She quickly climbed onto her friend's back, oblivious to his discomfort. She sighed, "Better."

Araquanid glanced at the hut he and his friends were in seconds ago, and screamed. He swam away just as the two story hut crumbled into pieces and fell into the water, creating a large splash in all directions. The water types cried out, feeling cold water landing on them. Octillery wrapped her tentacles around herself, now shivering as well.

"T-totally _not_ better!" She snapped her head at the pair above her, "Why d-didn't you help us?" She asked.

"You both are on an opposing team," Meowstic said, glancing down at them, "And you're both water types. Makes perfect sense to me."

"So what now?" Araquanid asked them, "You're ditching us?" He sighed, "Well...That friendship was nice while it lasted."

Meowstic didn't even had enough time to open his mouth when Ninjask spoke up, "No way! We're sticking together!" He smiled at them, "We've survived this far!"

Araquanid and Octillery smiled in relief and appreciation, while Meowstic's face remained neutral, staring out at the village, watching as the new disaster unfolded before him and the others.

The roof Infernape and Raichu occupied on was a moment away from collapsing. The monkey was about to jump off the hut and make a run for dry land, when Raichu grabbed his tail, still lying on the roof, "Might as well take someone out with me!" Raichu shouted, flashing him a lazy smirk as the hut started crumbling beneath him.

Infernape snapped his head behind him and narrowed his eyes at the electric mouse, "You son of a bit-" He shouted before feeling his tail tugging him down, causing the two the land in the water. Bubbles appeared on the surface, but neither competitor was coming up. A few seconds later, a sphere flew out of the water, containing a pissed off Infernape strangling Raichu, choking the life out of him.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Infernape:** (He was wearing a thick blanket around him, looking annoyed) Raichu probably would've make a good member of my team.

* * *

As the chaos continued down below, a certain two were flying through the air above, as the larger male growled to himself, "Damn...There goes that idea."

The dragon in the blimp's arms blinked, before saying, "Drifblim...I feel your...Growing weakness. You need to...Rest."

Drifblim glanced down at the girl, before sighing, as he continued to fly, "No. Regardless of my condition, I need to stay in the air. It's too dangerous down there, and if I put you down to relax, I won't be able to defend you from the mayhem. I can take it."

She gave him a worried look, "But what...If I'm just...Stopping you from...Succeeding?"

He stopped in the air, before raising a brow at her, "What do you mean by that?"

Hydreigon sighed, before looking down towards the disasters below, "Well...I'm not really...Worth putting so...Much effort into...Keeping safe. I'm not...Very useful."

The blimp's expression softened slightly, before turning his face away from her, continuing to fly forward, "You can consider that your opinion, but to me, I couldn't forgive myself if I allowed you to get hurt in this hellhole. I'll be keeping you safe, whether you approve or not."

As he said this, he seemed to not even notice the dragon's face lighting up with red, as she tried her hardest to cover her face.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Hydreigon:** (She was blushing furiously, before whispering to herself) ...This is so...Embarrassing.

* * *

Espeon hopped over the newest crack forming in front of her. She screamed, skidding to halt in order to prevent herself from falling into the gaping hole in the ground. She moved around it, only to trip over a small crack. She let out a yelp, falling down the hill. She hit Purugly, who was staring out at the disaster before her, sending her rolling down the hill too. They flew over the cracks and crash landed at the bottom with Espeon landing on top of Purugly's back. She shook her head and glanced down at her. The cat's recent confession replayed in her mind, causing Espeon to groan, stand up, and step away from her as if she was a disease.

Purugly rolled her eyes and stood up, "Oh, grow up."

" _I_ need to grow up?!" Espeon glared at her, disgusted, "You expose your body to strangers for money! That's branded you as Lust! One of the seven deadly sins!"

Purugly turned around to face her, "We all have sins. Pretty sure you have some skeletons in your closet."

Espeon opened her mouth to retaliate, when she noticed something behind Purugly. Her eyes widened, "The water is decreasing…"

Purugly snapped her head behind her and noticed it too. With all the new cracks forming all over the village, the water was decreasing at quick pace, "No wonder we didn't fall into the water," She looked back at Espeon and flashed her a smile, "See ya!"

She walked down the hill, where it was once submerged only minutes ago, when she felt a different rumble, "Oh, now what?!"

Hearing and feeling a larger rumble behind her, Espeon turned around, as her face became pale, "Dear Arceus..."

Purugly snapped her head behind her, and her eyes widened in terror, "What the fuck…?"

Somewhere in the village, the other two groups shared a similar reaction, watching a large mountain raise high enough for everyone to see. As it raised up, Drifblim was just barely able to get out of the way, as he growled at the mountain, "Looks like we might have more of a problem than initially expected," he quickly began to fly as far away from it as possible.

The water where the four contestants were was drained, allowing Meowstic to remove his grip on Ninjask, dropping himself to the ground. Shaking his arm in pain due to hanging onto Ninjask for long, he stared at the raising mountain, eyes widened.

"We're terrified, but it is wrong that I'm terrified _and_ excited at the same time?" Meowstic asked the others, who were moving backward.

"Hell yeah it is," Octillery said.

"Maybe the mountain's coming up because it has deep insecurities from it's height?" Ninjask asked, showing a sheepish smile to the others.

Araquanid gave him a look, before chuckling slightly, "Um, sure. Who knows what those kinds of things would think about...You know, if they were actually alive."

The top of the mountain exploded, unleashing lava onto the village. A split screen between the eight remaining players was shown. All of them screamed except for Drifblim, who remained focused on trying to keep him and Hydreigon safe, and Meowstic, who laughed at the spectacular sight.

"We need to run for it!" Ninjask shouted, watching the lava heading towards them at a surprisingly quick pace.

"I just need to outrun you guys!" Meowstic said, already running away.

Ninjask flew forward, "Meowstic! We've gotta stick together!"

Araquanid looked at Octillery, "Get on my-OOF!" He said before Octillery quickly climbed on his back again.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Octillery shouted at him before slapping his behind, "Go, damn it! Go!"

The spider blushed slightly, as he began to run ahead, "...Please don't slap me _there_ of all places!"

"If it makes you move faster, I don't care how many time I have to do it!" Octillery said, slapping her friend's behind to prove a point, "Faster!"

He yelped, as he cried out, "I need an adult!"

Purugly and Espeon ran down the hill and moved across the field. The former grunted and looked behind her, now seeing the lava swamping the hill she and Espeon stood on a few seconds ago, "Shit!" She put more energy into her running, while berating her unappealing body in her mind.

Espeon glanced behind her, seeing Purugly attempting to close the gap between them, but it made the psychic want to run more. But then a thought appeared in her mind. That woman had confessed to exposing her body to men. That was horrible enough. What's worse? She exposed herself to women as well! It was unacceptable! She had been spreading her horrifying diseases to who knows how many people. These diseases can decrease your life expectation. You can get cancer, give birth to deformed children, and have your relationships destroyed.

She glanced behind her again, seeing the lava was catching up to them, no matter how fast they were running. The lava showed off an illusion of Purugly' running in hell. Running for all eternity, but knowing the agonizing pain of lava pouring onto her vile body horrified her.

She narrowed her eyes. Purugly's victims need to be avenged. She had to be punished. For everyone's sakes! Her eyes glowed pink, stopping Purugly in mid-freeze, much to the fat cat's surprise. When she felt the lava was close enough, she removed her telekinesis on her, causing her trip over herself. A look of terror appeared on Purugly's face. Before she could get back onto her feet, the lava enveloped her.

Seeing the demon had been vanquished, Espeon allowed herself to show a satisfied look. Her eyes widened, seeing Purugly appearing in the lava. Rather thanscreaming in agonising pain, she coughed, and then she was...Licking the lava off her face?!

She was so focused on Purugly that she didn't acknowledge a large crack on the ground ahead of her. She tripped and let out a yelp of surprise, sending herself rolling onto the ground. She cursed herself for letting herself get distracted. She closed her eyes, knowing there was no time for her to get back on her feet. She felt the lava envelope her. It was hot, but it wasn't boiling. It felt like she could be in a hot bath.

She raised her head over the lava, coughing it out of her mouth. She then licked it off her face. Her eyes widened at the similar taste, "Tomato soup?" Espeon said, watching the lava continue to spread throughout the village, but she wasn't carried away like the flood would have done.

A loud feedback was heard, "That's correct, ladies!" Mesprit's voice, one could tell she was showing a reassuring smile, "You two were never in harm's way! The 'lava' was actually nothing more than my homemade tomato soup! A certain soup you may have during dinner! However, because you guys made contact with my 'lava', you guys are out of the challenge! As for everyone else, you'll be fine! Good luck with winning!"

The intercom had shut off. Espeon sat up and let out a sigh of relief. She froze, feeling her fur sticking up despite being coated in tomato soup. She turned around, facing Purugly. But rather than facing a disgusting prostitute, she was facing a person who looked like a demon had taken over her body. 'Lava' dripped down her face, veins popped out of her forehead, and her eyes glared down at her as if it could kill. Espeon felt her body tense up, ready to retaliate at the first chance she got.

"You wanna bring hell?" Purugly leaned her face towards Espeon's, growling, "I'll bring you hell."

Espeon returned the glare, watching Purugly turn around and walk away. Despite her hatred for her, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine. She knew what it was though. She had that same feeling whenever she confronted Granbull. She must be taken down.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Purugly:** (She glared at the camera) She left me to die! If that was actual lava- (She growled) I played dirty for fun. (She showed a smirk) I think it's time to show how dirty I can get in this game.

 **Espeon:** I did what I thought was right. Purugly had to be taken down. I thought at best, she would've been pulled out of the game like what happened to Granbull. But it's appears the Lord had other plans for me. (She narrowed her eyes at the camera) She challenged me, meaning I have to be prepare for our upcoming battles. It won't be easy, but with the Lord on my side, I have faith I shall succeed.

* * *

Drifblim had by this point almost completely run out of energy, as he was barely able to keep afloat now. It had gotten to a point of where he was barely even floating above the lava, as he began pant heavily, trying desperately to stay floating in some shallow attempt to remain in the game, "I...Have...To...Keep...Going…"

As the blimp continued to push himself to his limit, the dragon in his arms gave him a worried look, "Drifblim, you...Look very...Hurt at the...Moment. We should...Find somewhere for...You to...Lay down."

He let out a gargle of muttered words, as he said, "No...I can't...Lay…"

Suddenly, his eyes went blank, as he began to fall through the air and towards the lava. Hydreigon's eyes widened, as she got out of his grip, and attempted to fly again. It began to work for a moment, as she was barely able to grab onto the blimp. The two only remained in the air for a moment though, as her wings soon gave out themselves the moment she lost full concentration on the task. Soon enough, they had landed in the substance below, eliminating them from the challenge.

* * *

Meowstic continue running, hopping over any obstacle like debris or any cracks in the ground. He ran around the broken hut and skidded to a halt, seeing Ninjask flying in front of him. He narrowed his eyes at the bug and got into a fighting position.

Ninjask's eyes widened and raised his hands in defense, "Whoa, dude! I'm not here to fight!"

"Then why are you following me?" Meowstic asked, glancing at the area he came from, making sure he didn't get engulfed in tomato soup while his guard is down.

"I told you, we need to stick together!" Ninjask said.

"There's no need to. We're in the endgame now. For all we know, we could be the last two left-"

Araquanid and Octillery arrived, with the former gasping for breath, "I-If I keep this up...I'm gonna pass out…" Sweat trickled down his face, and his legs were trembling.

Octillery climbed off of her friend and shook her head, "I wouldn't, like, do that. You're totally doing a good job carrying me around," She gave him a smile, "Girls like that."

Still breathing heavily, Araquanid showed a weak smile, "Good...To know…"

Ninjask looked at Meowstic, smiling, "We're not the last two."

"But you are the last _four_ ," Uxie's voice was heard from the intercom, causing the contestants to look around, "You've reached the endgame. Get ready for the final disaster. Don't disappoint me," He warned them before the intercom shut off.

The remaining contestants exchanged stares in shock, "W-We're the last one?" Araquanid asked, eyes widened, "Even Infernape and Drifblim are out?"

"Sometimes, the last survivors are the one you'd least expect," Meowstic said, looking at all of them.

Araquanid nodded, "Yep. That's sounds spot on for me."

"So now what?" Ninjask asked, looking at them.

"It's like I've said before, Ninjask, there's no need for us to stick together now," Meowstic said, taking a step back. His eyes began to glow pink, "The temporary alliance served its pur-"

A girl's scream cut him off. The boys snapped their heads towards her voice, and their eyes widened. They watched Octillery being pulled inside the large crack nearby, flailing her tentacles about for anything to stop herself from entering the crack. "Octillery!" Araquanid shouted, running towards her, only for her to disappear inside the crack. He moved over to the crack, peering into the hole, "Octillery, are you-" Three decayed limbs popped out of the crack, almost grabbing onto Araquanid, who screamed and jumped back.

"What the heck are those?!" Ninjask said, staring at several Pokemon climbing out of the crack. When they had gotten on their feet, they started shambling towards the remaining boys. But there was something about the Pokemon that felt off. Their eyes were red, a crimson liquid splattered all over their pale bodies, and there were chunks of flesh missing.

Meowstic's eyes stopped glowing pink and looked around, seeing more Pokemon coming out of whichever crack was big enough for them to appear. He stared back at the crowd in front of him.

"No way!" Araquanid said, "They're-"

" _Zombies!_ " Meowstic raised his arms in the air, grinning.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Meowstic:** (He waved his arms in the air, grinning like an idiot) _Zombies!_

* * *

"I thought you're terrified of zombies?" Ninjask asked, surprised by Meowstic's excitement over the creatures.

"Just because I'm a zombie apocalypse prepper doesn't mean I'm afraid of zombies," the cat said, not taking his eyes off of the zombies.

Araquanid rose a brow at the cat, before refocusing on the horde, his eyes slowly widening in fear, "Um, guys...They're closing in on us pretty fast."

"We need to get outta here!" Ninjask said, reaching for for Meowstic's hand, but the psychic stepped forward.

"No. This is the endgame. One of us needs to emerge victorious for their team," Meowstic glanced back at the boys, a crazed grin spread across his face, "Let's go all out, shall we?"

Before either Ninjask or Araquanid could respond, Meowstic's eyes glowed pink and extended his arms out, blasting Psychic at the zombies in front of them, sending them back flying. Two zombies closed in on him, only to receive a flying kick to the chest for Cubone, and an elbow blow to Bayleef's neck. Meowstic already moved to the next zombie when the undead pair hit the ground. He delivered a sideway kick to the back of the Tsareena's leg, causing it to let out a groan and fall. He grabbed the nearest two zombies by their backs, and then slammed their heads together. Mudsale and Mudbray moaned and hit the ground as well.

Ninjask and Araquanid stared at the cat taking down the zombies one by one. They could hear them muttering about how they weren't paid enough to become Meowstic's victims. They exchanged rounded eye glances. The spider continued to stare at the carnage, before raising a brow at the ninja, "So...Do we...Help him?"

"Yeah, we should," Ninjask said, swinging a fist at an undead Heliolisk's face. He floated towards Meowstic, "C'mon!"

The spider blinked, before running towards them, "H-Hey! Wait up! I'm not as fast as you two!"

Ninjask delivered an X Scissor tp a pair of zombie Banette and Weavile, starting a domino effect with other zombies behind them. He unleashed Sand Attack onto several zombies closing in on Meowstic. They cried out and rubbed their faces to remove the sand, but it gave the cat enough time to knock them all to the ground. Meowstic glanced at Ninjask, who smiled and gave him a thumb up before using Sand Attack on more zombies. The psychic faced forward and extended his arms sideways, creating a Reflect around him.

Araquanid had finally caught up to the two, as he began to breath heavily, only to suddenly yelp as he struck the zombie that had attempted to grab onto him. He quickly threw a Leech Life at Lopunny, before rushing over to behind his allies, "So, any ideas guys?"

Meowstic swung his elbow at Poliwhirl's face, "I told you!" He slammed his leg into a zombie Machamp's groin, causing it to groan and fall to the ground, gripping its poor groin, "This is everyone for themselves!" He stomped on a Nuzleaf's feet, lifted him up, and threw him at a Vivillon, knocking them to the ground, "Might as well have some fun while you're at it!" A grin appeared on his face.

The spider rose a brow, "...You get these are just underpaid interns, right?"

"What do they expect us to do, run?" Meowstic flipped backward, narrowly avoiding an undead Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Wartortle extending their arms at him, "I never run from a good fight," He blasted a Psychic at them, sending them back onto the zombies behind them thus creating another domino effect.

"I'm cool with having fun as long as no one is sent to the hospital." Ninjask unleashed another Sand Attack at several zombies closing in on Araquanid, who quickly dodged off to the side, seemingly trying his hardest to actually avoid fighting them, instead constantly throwing Leech Life at each of them.

"Trust me, if they're real zombies, no hospital can save them!" A dangerous glint appeared in Meowstic's eyes, causing the zombies in front of him to pause, looking hesitant on whether to approach him or not. They didn't get their answer, finding themselves flying in the air thanks to Meowstic's Psychic. They landed onto zombies, who tried to catch them, but some of the heavier zombies knocked them down instead.

Araquanid was currently struggling with the zombies around him, but soon began to notice they had decreased in overall speed and were now lacking energy, most likely due to the Leech Life taking effect. Smiling to himself, he began to throw more of them into the crowds surrounding Meowstic and Ninjask, as he laughed, "Wow...This is actually...Kinda fun."

Hearing the nerd, Meowstic showed a smirk, "Glad you're seeing things my way," He jumped and swung a flying kick at an undead Cofagrigus, only to have his leg gripped onto by it's multiple arms. His face became pale. Before he could react, the Cofagrigus pulled him towards it, ready to bite him and finally pull him out of the challenge. It let out a scream, feeling an X Scissor slam into its face, causing it to lose its grip on Meowstic, who was caught in mid-air. He snapped his head upwards, seeing Ninjask smiling down at him.

"Told you I've got your back!" He put him back on the ground, now floating beside him and Araquanid as the zombies began to circle in on them. He unleashed another X Scissor at the undead Clefairy, laughing, "You're right, dude! This is awesome!"

Araquanid let out a small chuckle, "Yeah...It's absolutely terrifying and a little morally wrong if you look to deep into it, but hey, it's fun...But now all I'm thinking about is that we're attacking interns."

Meowstic glanced at the two guys in shock, watching them taking out a zombie Onix together, all while smiling and laughing. He looked back at the zombies in front of him, throwing a series of Shadow Balls at some undead Garchomp and Pikachu approaching them, knocking them backward, but this time, the zombies behind them pushed them forward, keeping them in the battle. Nevertheless, everything began to slow for Meowstic, thoughts appearing in his mind. Why did Ninjask save him? He could've let him be eliminated, thus sparing his team from elimination. Not to mention it would've been good payback for eliminating him in the previous challenge. And yet, he still saved him. For no reason but sticking together like a team.

Team...

Meowstic's eyes glowed pink and blasted Psychic at the zombies in front of him, this time sending them flying back. As it happened, a flashback appeared in his mind.

* * *

 _Drifblim floated closer to the cat, "Your incapability of forming meaningful connections with others. A weakness that truly shows the worst kind of vulnerability in a person. The kind that does nothing to help you."_

" _I can't risk connection," Meowstic said, frowning before looking away, "If a zombie apocalypse happens, I don't want to be too close with people, because if they die, I could be overwhelmed with grief and leave myself exposed as a zombie meal."_

 _As he said this though, the blimp glared down at the cat, "I'm afraid that with that kind of mentality, you'll never be as strong as you want to be. Truly a waste of your potential."_

 _Meowstic narrowed his eyes at him, "You don't know that. The zombie apocalypse can bring out the worst in people, especially your loved ones. Everyone is capable of doing horrible things when pushed into extreme circumstances."_

 _Drifblim's glare didn't waver, before he turned away, "Such irrational thinking shall only lead to your own failure. One day, I hope you realize that, if only so you don't make my mistakes."_

* * *

Meowstic glanced back at Ninjask and Araquanid behind him. He could've sworn he thought he saw them smiling back at him before resuming their battle against the horde of undead. A small gentle smile creeped on his face.

" _I understand now, Drifblim. The value of teamwo-"_ Meowstic thought, before he felt a Mandibuzz's bite on his two tails. He let out a scream and felt his tails yank him backwards, bringing him to the ground. The zombie Machamp picked him up and wrapped his arms around him, preventing him from escaping. Meowstic cursed to himself. All it took for him to be defeated was one second, and he gave him that. If these were real zombies, he would've use his final moment to unleash everything he had on them.

"And Meowstic is out!" Mesprit's voice was heard from the intercom, "That means the Mysterious Mesprit will be sending someone home tomorrow!"

Araquanid and Ninjask snapped their heads at Meowstic, seeing him get carried away by a sea of undead, "Meowstic!" They shouted in unison.

The spider behind the ninja stuttered slightly, "O-Oh man! What are we supposed to do now?!"

"Don't worry, I've got a plan!" Ninjask glanced at him.

Araquanid rose a brow, "Um...Okay-"

The next thing he knew, he felt a sudden burst of pain on his underbelly and found himself being launched into the sky, screaming the entire time as he flew towards the clouds. After a moment, his voice had completely vanished. Ninjask smiled, as his arm stopped glowing from using Slash. He disappeared amongst the horde before being lifted up in the air, ensuring he wouldn't escape.

Araquanid continued to scream as he fell towards the ground, bracing himself for impact...Before he suddenly found himself floating in the air, as the intercom came on, Azelf's voice cheering, "Araquanid is the last one standing! That means his team, the Awesome Azelf, are the winners of Detrimental Doomsday!"

The spider blinked, "W-Wait...I won?!"

By the village's entrance outside, having just witnessed Araquanid's victory from the monitor, the rest of the Awesome Azelf cheered, while the Unique Uxie stared at the monitor in surprise at Ninjask's sacrifice.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Araquanid:** (He was staring directly at the camera, before beginning to smile) I-I...I won...I won! I can't believe it! I finally won something in my life! (He began to cheer excitedly to himself) Nothing can ruin this for me- (The confessional suddenly collapsed on him)

 **Ninjask:** (He sat in a newly repaired confessional) The dude needed a win. From what I've heard from him so far, he has had it bad his whole life. I thought by making him the reason his team won, he would gain some confidence. (He smiled, before rubbing the back of his head) I hope that worked, 'cause I'm not sure how my team is gonna react to missing out on the Golden Inn.

* * *

Araquanid was back by the village's entrance, where his team cheered, before running over to him. Yanmega patted his back while Octillery wrapped a tentacle around him, cheering.

"Hell yeah! Back to the Inn, baby!" Octillery said. The spider laughed slightly at this, before beginning to cheer along with the octopus.

"Well, Awesome Azelf," Azelf said, smiling at them, "Congrats. You're safe for another day, and get to spend several nights in the Golden Inn."

The team was pleased while the other two teams applauded for their efforts.

"Unique Uxie," Uxie said, "You didn't win, but you're spared from elimination. So you can rest easier than usual."

Said team glanced at Ninjask, who gave him a sheepish grin. Quagsire smiled at the bug, before pulling him into a hug, "That was so nice of you! Good job, buddy."

"Yeah," Sableye said, glaring at Ninjask, " _Good_ job."

"Mysterious Mesprit, I'm sorry, but one of you will be leaving tomorrow night," Mesprit said to the team, looking sad, "You did so well, though! Super close! Oh, and Vanilluxe? You have to vote this time."

Vanilluxe stared at the ground, but nodded. The team didn't looked thrilled at all, especially after all they've been through. Meowstic remained silent, but he glanced at Araquanid and Ninjask every now and then.

"Jellicent was pretending to be a creep!" Sableye burst out, making several Pokemon jump. The jellyfish in question glanced at her, trying her best to not show any emotion.

"What are you talking about, Sableye?" Chandelure asked, curious of Sableye's accusation.

Sableye pointed at the jellyfish, "This so-called creep was pretending to be...Well, a creep! Everything she's done has been nothing more than a series of lies! I saw her true self during the challenge!"

"If you did, you'd be wishing you were dead," Jellicent said in monotone, her eyes urging her teammate to shut up.

"Enough! I shall not allow you to continue this behavior!" Jellicent, along with the rest of the cast flinched backwards, before turning to see Drifblim, his usually stoic face now completely overcome with unstoppable rage, as he floated towards the jellyfish, "Come clean, now!"

Jellicent looked at him, not wanting to answer him. However, everyone was staring at her, and she still hadn't forgotten what Drifblim did to Granbull. That was a fate she wouldn't want to risk having. She let out a sigh and looked at everyone, now dropping her nightmare fuel act.

"Fine, fine, it's true! I lied, okay? This is the real me! I only did it because I wanted to see how it would work out during the game. It worked every now and then, but I knew it wouldn't have lasted long," She glared at Sableye and Drifblim, "I would rather explain this on my _own_ terms though, instead of by force."

"If you knew your phony act wasn't gonna work, then you're just making it more trouble for yourself!" Sableye said, grinning at her.

"Oh, shut up!" She shouted at her.

Drifblim continued to glare at the jellyfish, before stating, "Consider this strike one...Try to not get to strike two."

Jellicent's eyes wavered a little, before resuming her glare at him. Soon, she noticed everyone else, especially her teammates, were now giving her glares...With exception of Quagsire, who just looked really confused. This had finally made her feel like a prisoner.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Jellicent:** (She had her face in her fins, before letting out a frustrated groan) Well, that could have gone a lot better for me.

 **Sableye:** I could've blackmailed Jellicent into helping me get through this game, but then I would be delaying the truth. And besides, (She pulled out two different idols Komala had found, grinning at the camera) I have a few tricks up my sleeves. (She cackled maniacally)

* * *

 **Golden Inn**

Thirty minutes after returning to the campground, the Unique Uxie reluctantly left the Golden Inn with their luggages in their hands. The Awesome Azelf stepped in as soon as Ninjask flew out the door, shooting Araquanid a quick smile, before joining his teammates. As the bug flew out though, the spider in the doorway couldn't help but look at him in the process, seemingly paralyzed from a feeling of appreciation.

"Hello...Araquanid."

The spider let out a yelp and jumped forward a bit from the sudden noise, before turning around, seeing a certain dragon in front of him. After blinking several times, he began to smile slightly, "O-Oh, h-hey Hydreigon. Um...What's up?"

She seemed to just stare at him for a moment, before smiling, "I just wanted...You to know that...You did a great...Job today."

He began to blush slightly, before awkwardly laughing out loud, "Yeah, I guess I...Kinda did. Thank you."

The dragon let out a small giggle from the spider's awkward display, before flying inside the Golden Inn, "Anyways, have a...Good day, Araquanid."

As she floated inside, the spider continued to awkwardly laugh, before suddenly stopping, "...God I suck at this."

"It's still progress," Octillery squirmed over to him, carrying her luggages, "At least you talked to her."

He blinked, before scratching the back of his head, a slight sheepish smile beginning to form, "Yeah, I guess I did."

"And besides, you showed off, like, several good sides today," Octillery said, giving him a smile, "You carried me around without complaining."

He gave her a look, "Well, didn't like when you started slapping my butt. By the way, we _need_ to set some boundaries on that."

Octillery moved inside the Golden Inn, putting her luggage down, "No promises," She looked back at him, "It's not just about carrying me though, you made actual friends. You can't be a complete loser if you have friends backing you up."

He blinked, before smiling to himself, "...I did...Wow, I literally just realized I have _friends_ now! I'm not a complete mess!"

"Don't get totally hyped, we still have a _lot_ of work to do before we can achieve the impossible," Octillery gestured towards Araquanid's whole body, "But you made friends, so we're not in a rut anymore."

After a moment, the spider mumbled, "H-Hey, Octillery...Thanks for sorta setting me up on this little path. I probably wouldn't have any friends here at all without you."

Octillery smirked at him, "Like I've been telling you, stick with me long enough, and you'll totally be throwing your old self away like a trash."

He blinked, "Well, I don't really want to throw my personality away, just the awkward stuff."

Octillery gave him a dismissive wave, "Details, details," She picked up her luggages, a grin appeared on her face, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with my tub!"

Araquanid watched Octillery squirm over into the hot tub room. After a moment, he chuckled slightly, "I don't know why, but I have a feeling she'll marry that thing by the end of the season."

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Octillery:** (She smirked at the camera) I'm bringing that tub with me, and nobody is gonna stop me!

 **Hydreigon:** (She smiled at the camera) Araquanid is very...Sweet. I'm glad that...He helped us...Win today. Though, I admit...His look made...Me slightly uncomfortable.

* * *

 _ **Day 10 - Elimination Day**_

* * *

 **Mess Hall**

The sun was beginning to lower, indicating the day was approaching afternoon. A few members from other teams were sitting by their team's table, but they often glanced at the Mysterious Mesprit's. Everyone on that team was there, eating what will be their last meal for one of them in this game. Furret glanced at the wall filled with contestants' portraits, knowing another would change soon enough.

Ursaring and Vanilluxe looked nervous, watching several people exchanging glares. Sitting across the table, Bastiodon and Raichu faced each other. Never ceasing his glare, Bastiodon slowly put cabbage into his mouth and chewed audibly. Raichu, on the other hand, was flipping over his meal with a folk, while resting his chin onto his fist. He gave Bastiodon a lazy glare, albeit feeling a bit uncomfortable from Espeon's piercing stare.

"Okay, I'm easing the tension now," Wormadam said, getting tired of the three of them exchanging glares non-stop since they've entered the room, "Who are we voting for tonight?"

Bastiodion and Espeon pointed at Raichu immediately. Raichu pointed at Bastiodon afterward before sticking a potato into his mouth.

"Nice to know I'm not a target this time," Furret said, relieved that nobody considered putting her on the chopping block.

"Why would you be?" Meowstic said, glancing at her, "You lasted a long time, unlike certain teammates," He gave Ursaring and Vanilluxe a stern glare, much to the pair's dismay.

"You're talking about Raichu, right?" Bastiodon said, wanting to give his teammates more reasons to vote off his enemy, "I agree! He was terrible yesterday."

" _I_ outlasted _you_ ," Raichu said, pointing a folk at him, "And I took out someone from the other team. Meanwhile, your Christian minion here almost took me out because she couldn't handle the truth about her hero," He gave Espeon an annoyed glare.

Espeon scowled at him, "Lies. All lies."

"But the dude is telling the truth about him outlasting Bastiodon," Ursaring said, narrowing his eyes at the stubborn actor, "He did better than him in the last two challenges."

"He didn't even reach the halfway point in either challenge," Furret pointed out.

"Neither of that was my fault!" Bastiodon said, snapping his head at her. He pointed at Raichu, "This rodent here took me out in the haunted mansion challenge!"

"Hey, who here decided to lower their guard to insult me?" Raichu said, sipping his orange juice.

Bastiodon growled at him, considering making a dramatic scene for the viewers' pleasure.

"The most important fact here is that we've now know who are tonight's candidates," Meowstic said, gesturing to Bastiodon and Raichu, "The real question is, who should we side with?"

"Me!" Bastiodon said, pointing at himself, "I'm a well-known actor! Do you honestly want to get rid of someone like me so soon?"

"I was a well-known actor as well," Raichu said, "I'm tolerable to be around though, unlike an idiot like you."

"' _Tolerable'_ isn't a word I would use to describe a deplorable person like you," Espeon said, glaring at the electric mouse, "You treated Our Lord as if He was a piece of _garbage_! I will not stand for that!"

"Say what you want, I don't care," Raichu said, shrugging, "Religion haven't done any good for me. If it don't work, it don't work."

A vein appeared on Espeon's forehead, and her eyes glowed pink, "You-"

"That's enough!" Wormadam said, glaring at Raichu and Espeon, silently telling the pair to calm down.

"Yes, please," Vanilluxe said, looking uncomfortable with the tensions spilling out, "All this arguing will create nothing but conflict and despair."

"One of us will be gone tonight," Espeon said, glancing at Vanilluxe before looking back at Raichu, "I would much prefer to be someone who doesn't treat Our-"

"Our Lord. I get it!" Raichu said, giving her an irritated look, "You don't need to keep blabbering on about it."

Espeon seethed, resisting the urge to use her telekinesis to throw the rodent off the island.

"We need to consider every factor on the table," Meowstic said, looking at his teammates, "Whoever we vote off will have an impact on us for the rest of the game."

"That's right," Furret nodded, "Last time, we all agreed to throw the challenge to get rid of Granbull. But we don't have someone like her on our team now. This time, we should vote for someone based on abilities, social skills, level of threat-"

"I'm sticking by my vote for Raichu no matter what any of you say," Bastiodon said.

Espeon nodded, "Same."

"That's two votes," Raichu said, rolling his eyes, "Not enough to send me home unless everyone else has decided to give each other a vote each."

"That would be interesting," Furret said, stroking her tail, looking curious.

"But we're not doing that," Wormadam said, glancing at her before looking back at the others, "We're agreeing on either Raichu and Bastiodon, and I'm voting for Bastiodon," She glared at the shocked actor.

"Me?" Bastiodon said, eyes widened, "Why?"

"You're annoying as hell. And while Raichu often sets bad examples as an adult, I'll admit I admired him when I was a kid. I used to like that show called Pokemon Adventure."

Raichu's eyes brightened, "Oh yeah, looking back on that now," He frowned, "I was annoying as hell," He shrugged and smirked at Bastiodon, "But hey, that's two for two."

"Make that three for two," Ursaring said, glaring at Bastiodon, "I'm voting for Bastiodon. You can't spread lies about someone behind their back. It's wrong!"

"I wasn't lying about Raichu! Everything I've said was the truth!" Bastiodon slammed a foot on the table, causing his teammates to grip their meals to stop it from spilling over.

"It's look like I have more friends than I expected," Raichu said, smirking at the frustrated actor.

Espeon looked at Ursaring, shocked that her friend sided against her, "Ursaring, you cannot possibly consider siding with that drunken-"

Ursaring looked at her, "Bastiodon was lying to you. He's only said that so Bastiodon would have a better chance sending Raichu home."

Espeon looked at Bastiodon and then looked back at Ursaring, "But he wouldn't speak about his family like-"

"Are you even friends with Bastiodon?" Wormadam asked, "I didn't see you two become buddies until recently."

Espeon remained silent, staring at Wormadam, before looking back at Bastiodon, whose eyes were begging her to not fall for their trick. She stared down at her meal, now looking unsure.

Raichu smirked at Bastiodon, "Another point for me. Wish I had a drink now to cheer for that."

Bastiodon remained silent, glaring at him.

Raichu looked at Vanilluxe, Meowstic, and Furret, "What about you guys? Whose train are you hopping in?"

"I have my thoughts, but I'd prefer to be secretive about it," Meowstic said.

"Same," Vanilluxe said, looking a bit guilty, "I don't want to make either Raichu or Bastiodon feel worse if I explain my vote."

"You're rich, aren't you, Raichu?" Furret said, looking at the electric mouse, who looked surprised by her unexpected question.

"Come again?"

"I'd speak your full name, but I don't want either of us to breaking our contract. Nevertheless, you're the same person who received an opportunity of a lifetime twenty-two years ago. Since then, you became our mascot people had grown to love throughout the last two decades. With all that fame from TV shows, movies, commercials, and video games, you'd be rich even when you banished your career."

The team stared at her and they slowly turned their heads to Raichu, who now felt like his terrified ten-year old self when a spotlight shined on him for the first time. "Err…" Raichu trailed out.

"Furret made some excellent points," Meowstic said, as Furret smiled at from his praise, "I'm well aware you're famous, but it's never occurred to me how much money you currently own. You're a millionaire, aren't you?" Meowstic asked.

Raichu blinked, but shrugged, "I think so. I haven't really checked my account since I evolved."

"Whether you still own all that money or not, you're still the richest guy out of everyone here," Furret said, gesturing to her team.

Raichu stared at her, raising an eyebrow, "So?"

"So?" Bastiodon said, pleased to finally receive an edge in this conversation, "There are people in this world who would've put that money to good use, and not waste it all on alcohol, drugs, or prostitutes," He scowled at him.

Espeon resumed her glare at Raichu, while Ursaring, Vanilluxe, and Wormadam looked unsure. Furret continued playing with her tail. Meowstic stared at him, while Bastiodon showed a tiny smirk on his lips.

"What, do you need money?" Raichu asked.

* * *

 **{{Confessional}}**

 **Vanilluxe:** (He looked deep in thought, albeit looking a bit guilty) Bastiodon or Raichu. Oh...I dislike having to make this decision! Whoever I vote for will play a part in sending someone home. (He looked at the camera) Would the person I vote for be the one sent home? (He sighed) This is going to be hard.

* * *

 **Elimination Ceremony**

The eight members of the Mysterious Mesprit were sitting on the logs for the second time, but with different reasons this time. They stared at Mesprit who was floating by the podium in front of them. Uxie and Azelf were sitting in the back, while the other two teams on the bleachers sat even further back.

"Welcome back, Mysterious Mesprit!" Mesprit said, smiling at them, "I'm really sorry to see you guys in this position again so soon, but rules are rules," She held up a silver platter with seven Oran Berries, "You know how this works, but this time, I'll be giving out the Oran Berries one by one to increase tension. But before we get to that, I'm going to ask you a question that will be part of the routine. If anybody have an idol you want to play, now would be a good time to use it."

Wormadam remained still, knowing she left an idol in her luggage, but didn't feel the need to use it. Seeing her team remained still, Mesprit nodded, "The first person to receive an Oran Berry is...Meowstic!"

Meowstic nodded and walked over to Mesprit, taking his berry. He ignored a thumb up from Ninjask, who gave the glaring Sableye a sheepish smile.

Mesprit remained silent for a moment before speaking up, "Wormadam." The plant smiled and hopped over, eating the Oran Berry Mesprit gave her.

"Vanilluxe." The ice cream flashed a smile at his remaining teammates, before floating over to the others. He smiled at Turtonator, who looked relieved to see her husband safe for another day.

"Espeon." The psychic smiled and muttered a thank you to Her Lord, before joining her safe teammates.

"Ursaring." The bear let out a sigh, walked over to the others, and threw the berry into his mouth, enjoying the flavor.

"Furret." Despite knowing she wasn't a candidate, the writer let out a sigh of relief, pleased to know she wasn't blindsided.

Mesprit stared at the remaining two contestants. Bastiodon was sitting straight, while Raichu was slouching in his seat, looking like he doesn't even care who would be eliminated. It didn't stop him from exchanging a glare with Bastiodon.

"It's about time to have a man to be eliminated next," Mesprit said, smiling, "Bastiodon. Raichu, you both have good reasons to be in this position. Bastiodon, you're here because of your poor challenge performances, and your stubbornness may have annoyed several players on your team. Raichu, you're here because despite your surprisingly good performances in the last two challenges, your bad attitude and the revelation of your wealth may have put off some people." The rat shrugged and resumed exchanging a glare with Bastiodon.

"One of you have more votes than the others. So, the final Oran Berry goes to…"

Bastiodon stopped glaring at Raichu and looked at the Oran Berry in Mesprit's hand. Raichu glanced at it as well, but didn't look nearly as nervous. "...Bastiodon," Mesprit said, smiling.

Bastiodon's eyes widened before letting out a triumphant laugh, moving over to Mesprit, grabbing the Oran Berry, and then walking back to the stoic Raichu, looking just as bored and uncaring as before. He showed off his Oran Berry to the electric mouse, "See this? This proves that I'm superior to you!" He threw the berry into his mouth.

"No need to rub it in his face, dude," Ursaring said, glaring at the actor.

"Nah," Raichu said, getting off the log and stretched, hearing his back crack, "If he wants to boost his ego, let him. It makes him more embarrassing than me."

Bastiodon stared at him, baffled, "Embarrassing?!" He glared at him, "My victory in this battle against you is not-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Raichu said, walking away, "I lost. You're still here. That's all everyone needs to hear. Enjoy your borrowed time before your inevitable elimination."

Bastiodon's face reddened, "You can't have the last laugh! That belongs to me! So haha! HA!" He stormed out of the area, not wanting to give Raichu any satisfaction by taking away his last laugh. All the while, the rat simply gave him a strange look, before shrugging nonchalantly.

Mesprit watched Raichu walk past her, heading towards the dock. She looked back at the others, "If anyone want to say goodbye to Raichu, aka Randy Lloyd, now would be a good time to do so. If not, head back to the campground. Goodnight!" She smiled at the contestants before she and her siblings left the area.

* * *

 **{{Voting Confessional}}**

 **Bastiodon:** (He smirked at the camera) Raichu, I hope you ordered alcohol in advance, because you'll be needing it to drink away your sorrows from failing to defeat me. But don't feel ashamed. You get the honor of becoming the first of my _many_ victims in this game.

 **Espeon:** (She glared at the camera) You insulted Our Lord more times than I will tolerate. You must leave the island, Raichu, for everyone's sakes.

 **Furret:** I'd find it unfair if a millionaire like Raichu stuck around when there are other contestants here that need the million dollars more. I vote for Raichu.

 **Meowstic:** The thought of eliminating Bastiodon had appeared in my mind, but Raichu has no need to compete when he already has enough money to buy himself three good quality zombie bunkers. I vote for him instead.

 **Raichu:** So I'm loaded. Not a big deal. I'd be surprised if I've still got any money left after I went on an epic bender. (He looked deep in thought) Come to think of it, that's probably why I applied for this show. (He narrowed his eyes at the camera) Bastiodon gets my vote. If anything I said to him didn't drill into his giant thick skull, why should I waste another breath on him? Either way, we'll go our separate ways, and I couldn't be happier.

 **Ursaring:** Personally, I can see right through Bastiodon's lies about Raichu. The guy is either clearly exaggerating, or just lying about how much he deserves to leave. Even if he _is_ rich, I still say he deserves a chance too. Besides, between the two, Raichu's a better roommate, while Bastiodon mostly either complains or snores in his sleep. (His eyes widened in surprise) I don't even get how he can _form_ a complaint in his sleep. Either way, I'm voting for Bastiodon.

 **Vanilluxe:** (He looked guilty) As much as I don't like to do this, I'm voting for Raichu. It's only because he's already a millionaire. Turtonator and I would like to have that money to make our children's lives easier. I'm sorry...

 **Wormadam:** (She glared at the camera) Raichu may be rich, but Bastiodon is a constant annoyance, and from what I've seen with that little comment of his on prostitutes earlier, a potential _criminal!_ He's going down!

* * *

 **Dock**

Raichu arrived at the dock, his tail dragging on the ground. He was about to step onto the Wailord parked beside the dock, when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, seeing Drifblim, Hydreigon, Infernape, and Vanilluxe standing before him. He raised a brow at them, looking slightly surprised, before his face became deadpan.

"If you're all here for an autograph, the only thing you're getting is this," Raichu showed a middle finger.

Hydreigon blinked, before shaking her head, "No, I'm here...Because I'm your...Friend."

Raichu lowered his paw, blinking, "Huh...Friend is a word I don't hear much anymore. And when I do hear it, they always end up being fake friends."

The dragon smiled, "Well, you can...Consider me a real...One."

Raichu stared at her, replaying Hydreigon's words, "I've never met anyone like you. Like ever. And I've seen a _lot_ of different kinds of people," A small smile appeared on his face, "Maybe that's why I believe you."

As he said this, he suddenly felt himself get pulled into a quick hug by the three headed dragon, before just as quickly letting go with a small embarrassed look on her face, "S-Sorry," she quickly began to wave, "But goodbye...I'll miss you."

Raichu chuckled and then looked at Infernape, who stepped forward, "I'll always remember you because of this," He pointed at the two faded bruises on his neck.

Infernape couldn't help but show a smirk, "That was a hug compared to what I did to my old team."

"I have to meet them," Raichu said, smirking, "Sound like my kind of folks."

"Be careful what you wish for," Infernape said, chuckling, "Otherwise, the next thing you'll remember is the training, and you'll be wishing you'd have killed yourself earlier."

"That's exactly why I wanna meet them!" Raichu said, smiling.

Infernape and Raichu laughed, as Vanilluxe floated forward, looking guilty, "Raichu, I'm sorry. I was one of the voters who voted for you. It's nothing personal! It's just that-"

Raichu held his paw up, interrupting Vanilluxe, "Don't get too hung up about it. I don't really give a shit about this show anyways. At least I'll finally be reunited with my favorite bar," He showed a smirk.

Vanilluxe smiled, relieved that his eliminated teammate wasn't too upset. However, soon enough, he felt a dark presence behind him, turning around to see a certain blimp looking down at him, "Please move out of the way. I have some words I wish to speak to Raichu."

The ice cream blinked, before quickly floating out of the way of him, allowing Drifblim to float next to the rat in front of him, "It's a shame you had to go so soon you know. You had a lot of potential hidden inside that depressed mind."

Raichu raised a brow, "Potential? I thought that died when I was a kid."

The blimp shook his head, "No, there is plenty of it still inside of you. Instead of just lying around hating what your life became, how about you actually _move on_? Simply enjoy it to the best of your ability, and don't care about how the media treats you."

Raichu stared up at him, thinking back to the first day where he arrived to the island, drunk off his ass. He had to be carried around by the blimp throughout the rest of the day. Since then, the pair developed an unlikely friendship. The kind of friendship you would get if you became a regular customer at a nightclub. The one where you could engage in conversations with a bodyguard while trying to get away from the disturbing customers, Despite this, he felt dark thoughts creeping into his mind, telling him he wasn't worth saving.

"How? How can I move on? Even when I'm not the famous Pikachu anymore, I'm still famous. Any privacy I could get had died with my childhood. People won't leave me alone," He stared at the floor.

He shrugged, "That's on you to figure out. All I know is that the only one who's making you depressed, is yourself."

Raichu looked at him again, feeling the dark thoughts decrease, but never disappear. Drifblim may be right. While he often blamed everyone for ruining his life, a small part of him had always told him to live his life better. He thought it was about partying hard everyday, and making tons of money, but they weren't the answers. It was about living a life to benefit himself, and himself only.

He gave him a firm nod, "I'll try. I doubt it'll work, but I'll certainly try."

The blimp smiled, "And that's all I could ask for. Good luck."

Raichu jumped onto the Wailord and looked back at the others just as the large Pokemon began to move away from the island. He smirked and gave them a lazy wave before slumping onto his back, wanting to give himself some rest. The contestants on the dock continued to wave until the Wailord had vanished from the horizon once more, claiming another contestant.

* * *

Several minutes had passed, and the three hosts were now occupying the dock.

"I'm gonna miss that rodent," Azelf said, disappointed, "The dude was hilarious to be around."

Uxie deadpanned, "He was a drunk deadbeat who actively hates life, how is that funny?"

"He spitted out witty quotes," Azelf said.

"He's not my favorite, but I didn't want to see anyone on my team be eliminated," Mesprit said, upset at having a second member of her team out already.

"You didn't like Granbull," Uxie said, frowning, "So you're a hypocrite."

Mesprit rolled her eyes and smiled at the camera, "Well, that's concludes another epic episode! Will our future challenges even top Detrimental Disaster?"

"Can Bastiodon become even more annoying now that Raichu is gone?" Azelf asked, smiling.

Uxie rolled his eyes, "Will Quagsire finally get what he deserves when Chandelure sends him hom-"

Mesprit floated in front of Uxie, interrupting him, "Find out on the next thrilling episode of Total!"

Uxie glared at his sister, before scoffing, "...Pokemon."

"Alphabetical!" Azelf shouted with a grin.

* * *

 _ **{{Vote Count}}**_

 _ **Raichu : Five votes (Bastiodon, Espeon, Furret, Meowstic, Vanilluxe)**_

 _ **Bastiodon : Three votes (Raichu, Ursaring, Wormadam)**_

* * *

 **Unique Uxie** \- Chandelure, Jellicent, Komala, Ninjask, Purugly, Quagsire, Sableye, Turtonator.

 **Mysterious Mesprit** \- Bastiodon, Espeon, Furret, Meowstic, Ursaring, Vanilluxe, Wormadam.

 **Awesome Azelf** \- Araquanid, Drifblim, Hydreigon, Infernape, Leavanny, Octillery, Yanmega, Zebstrika.

 **Eliminated** \- Granbull(Greta), Xatu(Xanthippe), Raichu(Randy).

* * *

 _ **Xebla :**_ Okay, this chapter took a lot longer to finish than I expected. How the hell did we surpass thirty thousand words?

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Don't know, but I won't question it.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Anyways, our newest eliminated contestant is Bojack Mouseman- I mean, Raichu! Back when I was doing the original TPA, I originally planned for him to be a newbie in a future season. And technically, he was a newbie here. Fuzz and I knew he wouldn't last long in storytelling terms though. We all know Pikachu as our main mascot for the franchise. For that reason, we've hardly seen their species in any TPI story. The one thing it had got me wondering was, "What if everything Pikachu was doing was his job? And how would it affect his life? Well, I had this idea where he received an opportunity of a lifetime and became a worldwide star. But fame's ugly side corrupted him into the person he is today; a drunken has-been celebrity. And before you ask, no, he wasn't an expy of Bojack Horseman. I created this dude before I got Netflix.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Either way, regardless of his origins, the dude's story is over, and we won't be seeing much of him from here on out. But hey, he lasted longer than how we originally planned, considering he used to be the first boot.

 _ **Xebla :**_ Good thing we changed that. It allowed us to get to know him more. And because of that, I'm going to miss him.

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ Eh, I won't probably, but I can't deny it, things won't be the same without him here to make things slightly more depressing.

 _ **Xebla :**_ That was his main role!

 _ **Fuzzboy :**_ And he did it well, so seeya Randy!

* * *

 **Raichu:** Read and review, folks. (He shrugged) Or whatever. You're not getting paid for this.


	5. Author's Note

This is a message for everyone who's alarmed by seeing another Total Pokemon Alphabetical online. If it not there, then it haven't been uploaded yet. However, there's a good reason for that. After a long discussion with Fuzzboy, we both agreed that he would be the writer while I'd be a director. Why? I'm just not into this story as much as my friend does. He's a better and faster writer than I could hope for. I also have real life and other stories to focus on. It also hard for us to keep up with our schedule since we both live in different time zones. Not writing Alphabetical would be beneficial for both of us.

The story ISN'T cancelled! Fuzz and I care too much for our characters to disappear from our lives. Instead, Fuzz will rewrite Alphabetical in HIS writing in HIS profile. I can point out which direction he could lead our characters to. It's still OUR story.

One week from now, I'll be deleting this story. So that will give you all enough time to move your favourite and follow to Fuzzboy.

Xebla


End file.
